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Two Dollars a Day 



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Poultry and Eggs 




Price 50 Cent 



Published by 

CLARENCE C. DcPUY, Syracuse, N. Y. 

1909. 






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Book- ri/2>0 



Copyright N" 



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COPyRrCHT DEPOSIT 



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SECOND EDITION. 



Two Dollars a Day 

from 

Poultry and Eggs. 



A BOOK FOR BEGINNERS. 

HOW TO START A POULTRY PLANT 

AND MAKE IT PAY. 



Price 50 Cents. 



PUBLISHED BY 

CLARENCE C. DePUY, 

SYRACUSE, N. Y. 
1909. 



> 



V 



COPYRIGHT 1902. 

EDGAR L. WARREN. 

(EDGAR WARREN-) 
COPYRIGHT 1909. 

EDGAR WARREN. 



luBRftR'' oi congress! 

Two CoDies Received 

MAY 21 1809 

/\ XXc NOi] 

(^ D3-3 

COP>f 3- 



CHAPTER I. 



The Poultry Business. 



it must be apparent to all who keep posted on current 
affairs that interest in the poultry business is increasing by 
leaps and bounds. Talk with your friends and you will be 
surprised to see how many of them are thinking" seriously oi 
some day retiring to a poultry farm. There are in the United 
States at least 100 papers devoted to poultry keeping, and the 
prosperous appearance of many of these shows that they do 
not lack patrons. The agricultural press is devoting ever 
increasing space to poultry ; and the papers that deal with the 
poetic, picturesque side of country life are exploiting with pen 
and camera the possibilities of the hen. Large capital is 
invested in the manufacture of incubators and brooders, and 
poultry supply houses are springing up on every hand. Visit 
one of the big shows, such as are held at Boston, New York, 
Chicago or Washington, and you will find the great hall 
thronged day after day with those who are interested in the 
various forms of feathered life. Rich men are having their 
attention called to poultry keeping as a profitable investment; 
and clerks, mechanics and professional men are asking them- 
selves if it is not possible for them to make money with poultry 
on the side. 

MAGNITUDE OF THE BUSINESS. 

Some months ago the Success magazine published a very 
readable article by Franklin Forbes, entitled "Raising Chickens 
— Our Largest Industry," in which the author demonstrated 
by figures and diagrams the magnitude of the poultry business. 
According to the writer the value of eggs and poultry pro- 
duced in one year in the United States was $280,000,000. Vast 
as this amount is, it does not approximate the present facts, for 
the figures are based on the census of 1900. Since then poul- 
try keeping has largely expanded, and Government estimates 
for last year (1907) of the value of poultry products of all 
kinds footed up to the enormous total of $600,000,000. One 
of the most appalling disasters of modern times was the 
destruction of San Francisco by earthquake and fire, April 18, 
1906. The loss approached $300,000,000. Thfe mind is stag- 



gered when it attempts to measure such figures. And yet the 
great city by the Golden Gate could be rebuilt from the earn- 
ings of the humble hen for six months. 

NOT LIKELY TO BE OVERDONE. 

Is there any danger that the poultry business will be over- 
done? This is a question that must suggest itself to every 
thoughtful mind. Enormous as the consumption of eggs and 
poultry is, may it not be matched and passed by production, so 
that those who venture into the business will meet with loss? 
The possibility of this cannot be denied. With our modern 
methods of artificial incubation, by which chicks may be pro- 
duced at any season of the year and in countless numbers, 
with so many constantly preaching the profits of poultry keep- 
ing, there is a real danger that the business may be overdone. 
There is a limit to everything finite. But on the other hand 
there are reassuring considerations. This is a big country, 
and it is growing bigger all the time. There are 2,000,000 
more people in the United States to-day than there v/ere a year 
ago. and there will be 2,000,000 more next year than there are 
now. And all these have to be fed. Game is becoming scarcer 
each year. Meats are constantly advancing in price. People 
are being driven into increased consumption of eggs and poul- 
try. When eggs fall in price in the spring their sale enor- 
:mously increases. This shows that the American people could 
■consume many more eggs than they do now if they thought 
they could afford them. It is probable that with the advance 
in scientific methods of production and storage, the price of 
eggs throughout the year will become more uniform — not soar 
so high in the fall nor drop so low in the spring. And with an 
equalization in price, eggs will be used even more than they 
are noAv. 

EXHIBITION POULTRY. 

There is a department of the business not represented in 
the Government reports, which must foot up to millions of 
dollars each year — the production of birds for exhibition pur- 
poses. There is a large and increasing number of persons in 
the United States who keep fowls not primarily for poultry 
and eggs, but to gratify their love for the beautiful. To a 
genuine lover of fowls there are few more attractive sights in 
nature than a specimen of his favorite breed that approaches 



his ideal of perfection. There are rich men who are willing to- 
pay ahnost fabulous sums for birds that can win the blue- 
ribbon at one of the large shows. And the market for such 
fowls is not confined to the limits of the United States, but is- 
as wide as the world. George H. Northup of Raceville, N. Y.,. 
recently sold to Henry Schultz von Schultzenstein of Berlin. 
Prussia, two rose comb Black Minorca cocks for $500 and 
$1,000 each respectively. The 19 birds which he sold to this 
gentleman brought him in $3,400. Mr. Northup gets $25 a 
sitting for eggs from his best pens.. William Barry Owen of 
Vineyard Haven, Mass., has in his circular a list of 30 fowls, 
the value of which is $10,000. The leader of the list is a Black 
Orpington cock which won first New York, first Boston, 1906, 
first world's trophy. Crystal Palace, London, 1905, and is 
valued at $750. 

The record, however, was reached in March, 1908, when 
Madame Helena Paderewski of Morges, Switzerland, wife of 
the world-famous pianist, paid to Ernest Kellerstrass of Kan- 
sas City, Missouri, $7,500 for five Crystal strain White Orp- 
ingtons, the highest price ever paid for standard-bred birds 
since the world began. Mr. Kellerstrass refused $2,500 for one 
hen, "Pegg," as it was named after his little girl, and, being a 
rich man, he did not need the money. 

These of course are top-notch prices, and are paid only for 
world beaters, but $100 for a single bird and $10 a sitting for 
eggs are everyday occurrences. Even at one of the smaller 
shows a winner in one of the popular classes will bring from 
$25 to $50. The beauty of this branch of the business is that 
it does not require a large amount of land nor a large outlay 
for buildings, and a man who has skill in mating may grow a 
blue-ribbon winner in his back yard. 

POULTRY AS A SIDE LINE. 
Even where a man has no thought of embarking in poultry 
keeping as a vocation, he still may find pleasure and profit in 
it as a side line. As a matter of fact, more than two-thirds 
of the chickens and eggs produced in the country are produced 
by men and women to whom poultry keeping is an adjunct 
to some other business. In some ways it is pleasanter and 
more profitable to engage in poultry keeping as a side line 
than as a regular means of support. The man who engages 
in poultry as a side line, as a general thing, will have more 
money at his command at the start than the man who must 
make his living from his fowls. Consequently he caii buy 



better stock, can supply himself with all needed appliances, 
can build better houses, and as a result his profits will be 
larger. I could tell story after story where the hens have paid 
the grocer's bill, have sent a son or daughter to college, or 
have even paid off a mortgage. Sometimes I think our Na- 
tional emblem should be not the American eagle, but the 
American hen. 

DRAWBACKS. 

Are there no drawbacks to the business? Candor compels 
me to confess that there are, and that their existence should 
be recognized. 1. Poultry keeping is dirty work. It is not 
hard work, in the sense that la3ang a stone wall or swinging a 
scythe is hard ; but it is dirty. Xo matter how much care one 
may exercise, it is impossible to keep the houses strictly clean, 
and some of the dust and dirt will communicate itself to the 
person of the poultry keeper. One has to wear old clothes 
when at work about fowls. The money that comes in, how- 
ever, is clean. 2. Poultry keeping is confining. In many 
kinds of business one can get away for a day or two now and 
then, and even for a vacation of two or three weeks, but in 
poultry keeping it is dift'erent. The fowls have to be fed and 
watered and the eggs gathered each day, and when the incu- 
bator and brooders are running and the chick season is at its 
height one is almost as much a prisoner as if confined behind 
iron bars and stone walls. 3. There are often quite serious 
losses. There are times when eo'es will not hatch, and other 
times when chicks will die. After the chicks are hatched and 
arc tided over the first few weeks, there are enemies to meet 
in the shape of hawks, skunks, cats and even human thieves. 
Disease sometimes makes its appearance in a flock, and the 
poultrvman finds two or three dead hens under the roos*-s 
evcrv morning. There are times when the hens will not lay, 
and these are often the times when eggs are in best demand. 
The poultrvman "s jjath is not strewn with roses by any means. 

ADVANTAGES. 

On the other hand there are decided advantages connected 
with the poultry business. 1. It is healthful. The work is 
steady, but not hard, and much of the time one is in the open 
air. 2. It is interesting. There is a constant variety to the 
poultryman's day. He goes from one thing to another, and 
is not held to a cast iron routine. 3. The products always 
sell. Eggs are in steady demand, and poultry does not go 



begging for buyers. 4. It is independent. One is his own 
boss, and need never fear getting out of a job. 5. It is 
profitable. There is good money in the poultry business for 
those Avho knoAv how to get it. 

A HOME AND BUSINESS OF ONE'S OWN. 

Poultry keeping ofifers pleasant and profitable employment 
for those who are advancing in years. In all lines that I 
know anything about, youth is at a premium, age at a dis- 
count. It makes a man who is approaching middle life and 
has a little family dependent upon him, wonder what he will 
do when he comes to the point ahead when he is no longer 
wanted in his trade, business or profession, but is ruthlessly 
pushed aside by younger men. To such the poultry business 
makes a strong appeal. Hens will lay as well for the veteran 
as for the young man, and the ground will as freely bring forth 
fruit. The small farm ofiers a haven of refuge to a man in 
his declining years. It is the part .of wisdom for a man to 
look facts in the face and to make provision for the time that 
is sure to come when he will be no longer wanted. If he has 
managed to lay aside a few hundred or a few thousand dollars 
and has made a careful study of the poultry business he need 
not fear, for he can at least make a living on the soil, and his 
last days ma}' be his best. Released from the necessity of 
toiling early and late under the watchful eye of a boss, re- 
moved from the heated and poisoned air of the shop to the 
free and life-giving ozone of outdoors, with no fear of losing 
his job or beiing displaced, he will grow young again, and life 
will take on new interest and charm. 

EASY TO GET OUT OF IT. 

The poultry business has one feature which I have never 
heard mentioned, but which is worthy of consideration : it is 
easy to get out of it. When a man engages in a new enter- 
prise he naturally hopes and expects to succeed, but all the 
while the grim alternative of failure must lurk in the back- 
ground of his consciousness. It is said that a good general 
before going into battle always determines what he will do in 
the event of defeat. There are some kinds of business so per- 
sonal in their nature, so complicated, that a man can get out 
of them only with considerable loss. But the poultry business 
is diflferent. Suppose a man has been engaged in the produc- 



tion of eggs and poultr}- for market, and wishes to close out. 
All he has to do is to ship his fowls to a commission merchant 
in the city, and in a day or two there will come back a check.. 
Suppose a man has been engaged in the production of birds 
for exhibition purposes. An advertisement in a poultry paper 
will find him a customer who will take his flock off his hands. 
There is a good demand for farms, and they are steadily ad- 
•vancing in price. Should a man discover that he is unfitted 
for the poultry business or grow tired of it, he can get out of 
it with as little loss as any business I know anything about. 



CHAPTER II. 



Making a Start. 



If the poultry business is as pleasant and profitable as I 
have represented, why is it that so many make a failure of it? 
Riding through the country one sees plant after plant aban- 
doned and falling into decay. The proportion of failures in 
the poultry business is apparently as great as in any other. 
One is continually meeting the man who was once enthusiastic 
over poultry keeping, but is nOw disillusioned and tells you 
sadly, "There's nothing in it." And when a man buys a poul- 
try farm his neighbors shake their heads and prophesy failure. 

EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. 

The causes of failure in the poultry business are doubtless 
as numerous as in any other, but the cause that "is the most 
prolific is inexperience. There are three things that every 
man seems to think he can do : preach the Gospel, edit a news- 
paper, and run a poultry plant. But he finds if he tackles any 
one of these jobs that he is up against a bigger proposition 
than he realized. 

Some time ago I received a letter from a woman whose 
husband had made some money in the drug business and now 
wanted to get away from it into the freer life of the farm. 
There was a poultry plant near where they lived that was for 
sale, the owner having made a failure of it, and the Avoman 
wrote me to know what chance her husband would have for 
success if he sold his store and bought the plant, knowing 
nothing of the business. I wrote back that he would have just 
exactly the same chance that a man would have who knew 
nothing of the drug business and who should buy out her 
husband's store. Set it down as the basic principle in all your 
calculations, that the poultry business requires just as careful 
an apprenticeship as any other, and that the man who is to 
succeed must know it root and branch. ) 

BEGIN SMALL AND GROW. 

Fortunately a man can serve his apprenticeship to the 
poultry business while he is earning his bread and butter at 
something else, and this to me is one of its chief charms. In 
what other business in the world can a man begin so small 



10 

and invest so little money at the start? If a man has an old 
dry goods box at his command, a sitting hen and a clutch of 
eggs, he can set his feet in a path that may lead on to fortune. 

Says "Commercial Poultry" : It is a matter of history that 
nearly every one of the large poultry plants in the United 
States that has proved successful has been built up from a 
small foundation. It is also a matter of history that there are 
a number of large plants that have proved unsuccessful and 
unprofitable simply because the owner undertook to accom- 
plish something without fitting himself for the task. Those 
who succeeded have been content to start in a small way and 
expand as their knowledge of the business and their ability to 
handle it warranted the expansion. 

"Take, for instance, the plant of U. R. Fishel at Hope, 
Ind. : A\'hite Leghorn Poultry Farm at Waterville, N. Y. ; H. 
J. Blanchard at Groton, X. Y. ; Henry Van Dreser at Cobles- 
kill. X. Y., and many other of the largest and most profitable 
plants in the country, — each of them had a small beginning 
and simply grew into the mammoth institutions that they are 
to-day. 

"U. R. Fishel started with a few hens in a back yard a 
dozen years ago. To-da}^ he has 120 acres devoted to poultry 
and does an annual business very close to the $20,000 mark. 
The White Leghorn Poultry Farm at Waterville, X. Y., is the 
outgrowth of a score of hens kept in a house less than eight 
feet square the first winter. To-day the farm consists of about 
160 acres — with a recent addition — with a score or more of 
large houses, the largest being 500 feet long. Although ten 
thousand S. C. White Leghorns are raised annually upon this 
farm, the demand for stock and eggs nearly always exceeds the 
supply. H. J. Blanchard of Groton, X. Y., has become wealthy 
from his chicken business, although he has a farm of but 
twenty acres. Henry Van Dreser started in a small way and 
to-day has one of the largest commercial and fancy poultry 
plants in the East. 

"The same is true of almost every large poultry plant in the 
countrv. There are a few, to be sure, that have been started 
on an extensive scale by men of wealth, but if they have proved 
successful it is because experienced ijoultrymen have been 
employed to manage them." 

THE FIRST STEP. 

Suppose a man has no practical knowledge of the poultry 
business, but has become interested in it from reading about it 



11 

in the papers and talkini;' with friends, liow would 1 advise 
liim to proceed? It would depend something upon the season 
of the }ear. Suppose it to be fall. I would advise him to send 
away to a breeder of established reputation for a breeding pen 
of the variety he has selected. A breeding pen consists of a 
male and four females, and may generally be purchased for 
from $15 to $25. The breeding pen may consist of four pullets 
and a cock, but I think it better to reverse the arrangement 
and purchase four hens and a cockerel. Pullets are all right 
to breed from, provided they are mature ; but these are the 
kind the breeder does not care to sell. On the other hand, he 
is always ready to dispose of his mature birds. From such a 
pen as this a man should get from 150 to 200 chicks in the 
spring, and have a good number of choice pullets and cockerels 
in the fall. 

Four hens will not be enough to keep a vigorous cockerel 
at work, and so I w^ould advise the beginner to pick up eight 
mature, well-grown pullets around home. These may be put 
in the pen \vith the rest. But before this is done, the}- sliould 
be well dusted with some good insect powder, for farmers' 
hens are proverbiallx' lousy, and if not "doctored" will infect 
the rest. 

These eight pullets of nondescript Aariet_\ will do for sitters 
and mothers in the spring. The four hens should give you at 
least 60 eggs apiece during the hatching season, and if the eggs 
are reasonably fertile you should get from 50 to 200 chicks. 
From these }'ou should get a..good number of pullets in the 
fall. 

The advantage of starting with a breeding pen is that one 
"will be likely to have eggs on hand whenever they are wanted ; 
and there are no delays, no eggs chilled or broken in transit. 
The male with which you started should be kept the second 
year and mated with pullets of his own get. 

Starting in the spring one would naturally begin with eggs. 
You will need at least 100 to give you anything of a start, and 
these will cost you $10. Beware of cheap eggs and cheap 
stock. You will never be satisfied until you get good standard 
bred fowls, and these cannot be produced or sold for the price 
you pay for dunghills. It has been my experience that the 
"birds I paid the most for at the start were the greatest money- 
anakers in the end. 

KEEP ONLY THOROUGHBREDS. 
It seems almost unnecessarv at this stage of the world's 



_^ 12 

history to advise the prospective poultryman to keep only 
thoroughbreds, and yet one still meets the man who insists 
that crosses or mongrels lay as well and pay better than they. 
Let us examine this proposition a moment. If mongrels and 
crosses lay as well and pay better than thoroughbreds, why is 
it that the great commercial plants throughout the land have 
discarded them in favor of standard-bred fowls? Why is it 
that the great egg records, as shown by the trap nest, uni- 
formly come from thoroughbreds and not from mongrels or 
crosses? It costs no more to raise a thoroughbred than a 
dunghill, no more to feed it after it is raised. A flock of birds 
of one variety looks better than a flock made up of everything 
under the sun, and will do better. Dififerent breeds require 
different treatment, and where they are all mixed up in one 
flock conditions cannot help being unfavorable to some. Eggs 
coming from one breed are more uniform, and when the birds 
are sent to market they bring two or three cents more a pound 
than a mixed lot. Where a man keeps only pure-bred fowls 
of some popular strain he can, even without advertising, sell a 
good many sittings of eggs to his neighbors in the spring and 
dispose of his surplus cockerels to them in the fall. Time and 
time again have I had visitors come to my place, who had no 
intention of purchasing when they came, who became so fasci- 
nated at what they saw of my beautiful White Wyandottes 
that they placed a good order with me before they went away. 

BREEDS THAT PAY. 

One of the difficulties of the beginner is to determine what 
variety to keep. The latest edition of the Standard of Per- 
fection recognizes 73 varieties of the domestic fowl, not in- 
cluding Bantams, which are miniature or dwarf specimens of 
the various breeds. Should a man in this undecided state of 
mind visit a great show in which are exhibited the best speci- 
mens of all the leading varieties — the aristocrats of Poultry- 
dom — his confusion becomes worse confounded ; and should 
he run across champions of several of the leading breeds and 
let them talk to him for half an hour each, his mind will be in 
such a whirl that it is impossible for him to make a devision. 
It is to help clear up the whole matter that this section is 
written. 

The money-making varieties may be counted up on the 
fingers of both hands. I do not mean by this that men do not 
make money on other varieties, for they do ; but there are six 
or eight varieties which pay well in the hands of almost any- 



13 

one. If a man is to become a fancier or a specialist it may be 
wise for him to go afield and take an entirely different breed; 
but if a man is after a safe, conservative proposition he would 
better stick to the varieties I am about to mention. 

1. The Leghorns, Brown and White. The Leghorns are 
prolific producers of white eggs; mature early, are active, 
hardv. and do not eat so much as the larger breeds. Non- 
sitters. In some markets white eggs are demanded by the 
best trade, and command a premium. 

2. Rhode Island Reds. A valuable addition to the Amer- 
ican class. Hardy, good layers of brown eggs, a rich yellow 
carcass, good table bird. Mature early. 

3. White Wyandottes. The most popular member of the 
great Wyandotte family. A beautiful bird. Prolific layers of 
brown eggs ; yellow skin and legs. A prime table fowl. A 
favorite on broiler plants. "No matter when you kill them 
you've always got something!" 

4. Plymouth Rocks. Barred and White. The Barred 
Rocks are undoubtedly the most popular breed in America to- 
day. They are known as the "business hen." Hardy, large 
sized, prolific producers of brown eggs ; killed and dressed they 
make excellent poultry. 

5. Black Minorcas. A handsome, showy bird of the Med- 
iterranean class. In size nearly equal to the Plymouth Rock. 
Heavy layers of large white eggs. Fair poultry. 

6. Black Langshans. A noble bird of the Asiatic class. 
Large size, the cock weighing 10 pounds. Excellent table 
fowl, the meat having a delicious flavor, and the bones being 
small. Lay a beautiful brown egg. 

7. The Orpingtons. Bufif, Black and White. Large, 
stately birds, larger even than the Plymouth Rocks ; rightly 
handled they make excellent layers. Good table fowls. They 
would seem to have a grand future. 

HOW MUCH MONEY DO I NEED TO START? 

That depends. If you start the way I advocate in this 
chapter you won't need much. Begin with a pen of thorough- 
breds or an incubator load of eggs and let your birds build 
your plant. But suppose you have advanced beyond this, 
have been keeping hens for a number of years and have solved 
some of the problems connected with the business, and now 



14 

want to devote }-our time to poultry keeping, how much money 
do you need to start? 

Again I sa}^ that depends. I have known men without 
any capital to move out onto a poultry farm, and in a few 
years build up a nice little business. But in this case the farm 
was located on the outskirts of some village or city, and they 
worked at their trade during the day and looked after the 
chicks morning and night. Of course, there was a silent ( ?) 
partner in the shape of a faithful little wife, who looked out 
for things during the day. It was hard work, but in a few^ 
years things got easier and the husband was able to devote 
more and more of his time to the farm. 

Sometimes a man will bu_\' a farm with only about enough 
money ahead to make the first payment, and depend on his 
trade to give him an income while he is getting a start. Two 
miles from where I write there is a friend of mine who has the 
poultry bug in his brain. He is a blacksmith by trade, and a 
mighty good one ; but he is growing old and finds shoeing 
horses hard work. He is looking forward to making an easier 
living from his hens. He has fitted up a little shop by the 
roadside, and shoes the horses of the farmers in the neighbor- 
hood. Between times he is building up his plant. A man so 
situated does not need much money to begin with — not over 
five hundred dollars. 

But where a man has no such resource and must depend 
upon his farm principally to supply his needs, it is a dififerent 
story. Then the more capital he has the better. I should not 
advise such a man to start in with less than one thousand 
dollars. Even then he will have to struggle for a long time 
to keep his head above water. 



CHAPTER III. 



Finding a Farm. 



Among j,he readers of this book there must be hundreds 
if not thousands who are looking forward to the purchase of a 
farm. In all men of Anglo-Saxon blood there is a land hunger 
that is pretty sure one day to manifest itself. Some want a 
farm for a home for the summer months. Others want one as 
a haven of refuge for their declining years. Still others want a 
farm as a business proposition, believing that a farm rightly 
handled will yield large returns. Real estate agents say that 
the demand for farms was never more active than to-day. It 
is for the purpose of assisting the reader wdio wants a farm, 
and especially the reader who wants a poultry farm, that this 
chapter is written. 

LOCATION. 

Where shall the prospective farm be located? This is the 
first question to be asked. Shall the bu3-er go to New England 
with its teeming manufacturing centers and its innumerable 
simimer resorts, its splendid markets and its pleasant villages? 
Shall he go to New Jersey with its sandy soil especially 
adapted to poultry, and its proximity to some of the greatest 
cities in the country? Shall he go to the Middle AA'est where 
the winters are mild and feed products can be bought at prices 
that touch rock bottom? Or shall he cross the continent to 
where Petaluma overlooks San Pablo Bay — that magic city 
where the hillsides are dotted with White Leghorns as far as 
the eye can see and where poultry keeping is the leading- 
industry? 

My answer to the cjuestion is : locate somewhere near 
where you are. I do not mean necessarily to locate in the 
same town or even in the same State, but I would not advise 
you to go more than a hundred miles away. Why? Because 
you have struck your roots down where yovi are, and men and 
trees suffer from transplanting. You know the section where 
you are— the people and their peculiarities, the soil and cli- 
mate, the markets, and a thousand and one things that vou 
would have to learn all over in a new field. Then, too, each 
section has its ofifsets as well as its advantages, and in many 



16 

cases the gain does not compensate for the loss. I am more 
famiHar with New England than with any other part of the 
countr3^ It is a grand place for the poultryman. The mar- 
kets are among the best in the world. But there are draw- 
backs: the winters are long and cold, feed products are high, 
help is scarce and hard to get. There are men who are making 
a success in the poultry business in every State in the Union, 
and in every State there are men who are making a failure. 

"The Fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 
But in ourselves, that we are underlings." 

HOW TO FIND A FARM. 

After you have settled the matter of location, the next 
thing is to find the farm. There are three possible ways. The 
first is to take two or three Aveeks, or two or three months, and 
drive through the section where you wish to locate and look 
up properties that are for sale. This takes time and takes 
money, but if one has plenty of both it is not a bad way. One 
becomes acquainted with farm values, and can sometimes 
pick up a bargain that will pay him well for the time and 
money he has spent. A modification of this plan is to canvass 
a section for some good paper or magazine and keep one's eye 
■open for a farm at the same time. I believe that if a man 
should start out in the fall of the year with my book. "Two 
Hundred Eggs a Year Per Hen," and the Advocate, he would 
take subscriptions enough to more than pay expenses, and 
would be likely to find a farm before he got through. 

The second way is to advertise. There are hundreds and 
thousands of farms that are on the market, and an advertise- 
ment for a farm in the right medium will be sure to bring 
numerous replies. 

When I was in the market for a farm I prepared a five- 
line advertisement and sent it to the "Congregationalist," with 
instructions to insert it in their "Subscribers' Column" for four 
weeks, sending along a two-dollar bill at the same time. The 
advertisement was as follows: 

WANTED — A small fruit and poultry farm 
in or near some pleasant village in Southern 
New Hampshire or Eastern Massachusetts. 
Send full description, lowest cash price, and 
photograph of buildings. 

Replies came in thick and fast, until in sheer desperation I 
wrote the publishers after two weeks to discontinue the ad- 
vertisement and apply the dollar that remained to my sub- 
scription. 



17 

Many of the replies were from widows who fclL unable to 
carry on the farm after the death of their husbands ; others 
were from old persons who did not think it safe longer to live 
alone, and a few were from heirs who had no use for the prop- 
erty. In every case, so far as I could judge, the price asked 
was reasonable, and in some cases it seemed very low. If I 
were in the market again I should try a similar plan. 

The third way is to go to a real estate agent and look over 
his lists. It is said that one real estate agent in New England 
has 6,000 properties on his books. It is natural for a man with 
a farm to sell to place it in the hands of a real estate agent, 
and in looking over a list one ought to be able to find two or 
three properties that he would like to investigate. In dealing 
with an agent one must be on his guard lest he be over- 
persuaded and purchase against his better judgment. It is 
the agent's business to make a sale, his commission depends 
upon it, and naturally he is going to make the property as 
attractive as possible. There is danger that one may be hyp- 
notized. Still, agents have their place, and an honest agent 
is a good friend to both buyer and seller. 

ABANDONED FARMS. 

In nine cases out of ten when a man begins serioush^ to 
consider a country home he turns his thoughts to an aban- 
doned farm. So much has been said and written about these 
farms that a glamour has been cast over the subject, like the 
magic spray that half conceals, half hides, the figure in the 
fountain. The price asked seems ridiculously low — it is like 
getting something for nothing. But I most earnestly adjure 
the prospective buyer to turn all thoughts of one of these 
farms out of his mind. If a farm has been abandoned it is for 
a cause ; either the soil is rocky and sterile, the place is remote, 
or the buildings are in a state of dilapidation and decay. 
Leave the abandoned farm to the man who only wants it for a 
summer home — it may be a good thing for him — but if you are 
thinking of a farm on which to make a living, don't touch it. 
It has starved one owner ; it will starve you. 

POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED. 

What are the points to be considered in buying a farm? 
They are five, and they are as follows : 

1. Township and Neighborhood. There is a great dififer- 
ence in townships, even in those lying side by side. In one 
township there are high ethical standards — the churches are 



18 

well supported, the schools are maintained at a good degree of 
efficiency, there is a healthy public sentiment on temperance 
and sexual morality. In an adjoining township, perhaps, the 
ethical standards have fallen into decay. Drunkenness and 
licentiousness abound. Schools and churches are neglected. 
Crime is common. It is no place to live and bring up children. 
In one township the economic conditions may be far ahead of 
those that prevail in another. Taxes may be lower, roads 
better, methods of communication with the outside world 
easier. Farms are higher in these towns, but they are worth ' 
more and sell quicker when placed on the market. 

In even the best towns there may be undesirable neighbor- 
hoods. The slum is not peculiar to the city alone ; the country 
town often has it. In the country one is thrown much in con- 
tact with his neighbors, and therefore it is important that he 
gets in a good neighborhood. 

2. Size and Soil. The demand now is for small farms, 
farms that range from five to twenty-five acres in size. Such 
■farms sell better than larger ones and are more desirable. The 
large farm requires a large outlay for machinery, and the owner 
must keep help. Five acres will keep a man busy, provided he 
practices intensive farming, and will often yield a larger profit 
than fifty. 

Sometimes you hear it said that any kind of land will do 
for hens. This is true in one sense, and in another sense it is 
false. If a man were to keep hens and nothing else, if he pro- 
posed to buy all their feed, he could get along with a place that 
had poor soil. But poultry keeping should be combined with 
other things for the maximum profit. At least the poultryman 
should raise a good proportion of his feed. And there are 
certain paying crops especially adapted to a poultry farm. No 
soil is too good for the poultryman. The better the soil the 
more money he can make. 

The ideal soil is a sandy loam, and if there is a slope to the 
south or southwest so much the better. But fowls can be kept 
upon almost any soil, provided it is not so damp that water 
stands on it a good part of the time. Even if the soil is run 
out the hens will soon bring it around if there was anything 
to it to start Avith. 

3. Water and Wood. Who does not remember the "old 
oaken l)ucket"' that came splashing up from the cool depths of 
the well, brimming and overflowing with its liquid load, and 
how refreshing a draught of that water was on a sultr}- sum- 



19 

mer day? A good well on a place is worth hundreds of dollars- 
in health and comfort. Always test the water and find out 
whether the well goes dry in season of drought. In our New 
England fortunately few farms are without good wells. A 
spring or brook in the pasture is also important. 

It is a good thing if there is a good lot on the farm of 
sufficient size to supply the family fires, although this is not 
indispensable. Coal is now burned in many farmhouses, and 
kerosene stoves in summer decrease the housewife's burden. 

4. Condition of Buildings. It makes all the difference in 
the world in the value of a place whether the buildings are old 
and dilapidated or whether they are in good repair. Nothing- 
is more deceptive than an old building. It looks as if it only 
needed a few slight repairs to put it in good condition, but 
when you commence there seems to be no place to stop. A 
place is not cheap, no matter the selling price, if the buildings 
are in a state of decay. 

5. Title. See that there are no defects in the title. In 
order to do this it may be necessary to employ a lawyer. He 
will look up the records in the office of the Register of Deeds 
and report whether or not there is any encumbrance. I was 
told of a case where an heir had a life interest in the estate tO' 
the amount of $100 a year. It was represented to the buyer 
that this heir was 80 years old, tottering into the grave. But 
he found, when too late, that the heir was only a little over 
60, and likely to live many years. The annuity that the pur- 
chaser is obliged to pay is a serious drain upon him, and may 
eventually lose him the farm. 

A mortgage upon a place need not necessarily be con- 
sidered an encumbrance. The buyer simply deducts the 
amount of the mortgage from the amount paid the seller, and 
assumes the liability. 

Always demand a warrantee deed, and be satisfied with 
nothing short of it. The cost of making out the deed is 
assumed by the seller. 

The insurance may be transferred at the time a place is 
bought, provided the company consents, the buyer allowing 
the seller for the time the policy is to run. But it is usually 
better to take out a new policy. 

PAYING FOR THE FARM. 

Such a farm as I have described, from five to twenty-five 
acres, well located, with buildings in good repair, may be 
bought from one thousand to twenty-five hundred dollars. 



20 

Usually the asking price is from one to five hundred dollars 
above what the seller will ultimately take. The ideal way, of 
course, would be to pay cash down; but in the majority of 
cases this is impossible. Something must remain on a mort- 
gage. It is always better to place the mortgage with a savings 
"bank than with the seller of the farm. Something may happen 
in a year or two that will cause him to need the money, and he 
may press the buyer or dispose of the mortgage to a money 
shark. Savings banks, on the other hand, make a business 
of loaning money on mortgages, and as long as the interest is 
paid and the property kept in good shape, will not distress the 
mortgagor. The rate of interest demanded by savings banks 
on first class mortgages here in New England is now five 
per cent. 

It is not generally known, but it is a fact, that savings 
banks are now encouraging men to buy farms by making it 
possible for them to pay the mortgage in monthly installments. 
If a man can pay $10 a month a bank will advance $1,000 on a 
■$1,500 farm and apply the monthly payment to the reduction 
■of both principal and interest. 

In general it should be said that a man should not pur- 
chase a farm unless he is able to pay at least a third down and 
then have something left over for working capital. 

FARMS FOR WOMEN. 

Women are now buying farms to a considerable extent. 
While a woman on a farm is at a disadvantage on account 
of not being able to do the harder and rougher work, yet many 
women are such good managers that they overcome this handi- 
cap. A woman in buying a farm should be sure to get one 
near good neighbors, or, better still, in a village, even if she 
has to be content with a smaller farm than she would buy 
otherwise. The social isolation of a farm is not felt so much 
where there is a large family ; but where a woman is alone, or 
has only one companion, she needs to be where she can come 
into contact with people easily. 

WHEN TO MOVE ON A FARM. 

No matter at what season a man moves on a farm, he will 
wish he had gone there six montjis before. There is always a 
vast amount of work to be done in getting settled and getting 
started. Perhaps' the time of year when a man can move on a 
farm with least loss is in the late fall, say in November. He 
can then be settled before severe cold weather sets in, and be 



21 

on the ground in time to make a good start in the spring. He 
need not wait long, for if he is a poultryman he can start the 
incubator going the first of January for broiler chicks and have 
them coming right along. Farms can usually be bought a 
little cheaper in the fall than in the spring, which is another 
argument for going on at that time. 



CHAPTER IV. 



An Income from the First. 



The ideal way to start in the poultry business of course 
would be to have capital enough to pay for one's farm out- 
right and then have sufficient reserve to maintain one's self 
until a good income could be established. There are but few, 
however, who are able to start this way. The majority have 
not money enough ahead to pay for their farm, to say nothing 
-of being able to wait to build up a business. To them it is 
imperative to have an income from the ver}^ first, and it is 
the object of this chapter to show how such a result may be 
accomplished. 

It may be cheering to the reader of moderate means at 
this point to remind him that it does not cost nearly so much 
to live in the country as in the city. In the city it is money 
every time one turns around, but on the farm one may go 
days and not spend a cent. There is no rent to pay, no fuel 
to buy, and the farm itself will largely supply the table. It 
is not too much to say that one dollar in the country will go 
.as far as two dollars in the city. 

POULTRY GIVES QUICK RETURNS. 

'One good thing about the poultry business is that it gives 
^uick returns. There is no other branch of live stock keeping" 
that compares with it in this respect. In the raising of beeves, 
horses, sheep and swine considerable time must elapse before 
returns are made on the investment. Not so with poultry. 
A year is a long time in the poultry business. If a man wishes 
to raise broilers he buys an incubator in November, buys his 
■eggs to put into it a short time afterwards, and in the months 
■of early spring has marketed his two-pound birds and is ready 
to reinvest. Even if he wants to produce winter eggs he does 
not require a year to get returns. It is always possible to pur- 
chase pullets in the early fall which will soon begin to lay. I 
have known a flock of hens to lay the next day after being put 
into the pen, so that the owner began to realize on his invest- 
ment in less than 24 hours. Where a man gets out his own 



23 

laving- stock, he ought to begin to take money for the sale of 
eggs in less than eight months after he first starts his incu- 
bator. 

READY MONEY IX MILK. 

I would not advise a man to combine poultry keeping with 
dairying to any considerable extent, for it is inevitable that 
he will neglect either his hens or his cows. Bu,t when a man 
is getting started and needs ready money it will pay him to 
keep two or three cows and sell the milk. In most country 
towns in New England and the Middle States milk now sells 
at the door, and the producer receives a check once a month 
for his output. While there are many charges against the 
contractors, and the producer is no doubt subjected to annoy- 
ances and exactions, yet it is a great advantage in being able 
to sell what one produces at the door and be sure of one's pay 
for it. A cow rightly handled should net the owner $50 a year, 
even at the price at which milk sells to the contractors. If 
the good wife has the knack of making gilt-edge butter a cow- 
will earn even more than this, and there will be a large amount 
of skim milk left to feed to the hens or the swine. 

OTHER THINGS THAT PAY. 

Potatoes are a money crop. They are easy to grow and 
easy to sell. An acre of potatoes seldom nets less than $50> 
and from this it may run up to $200. While potatoes exhaust 
a soil, already too greatly depleted of potash, yet the tempta- 
tion to plant them is always great, as they bring in such quick 
returns. 

Apples. On most farms there is an apple orchard. Too 
generally it has been neglected and the trees have not been 
fertilized or properly trimmed for years, yet it has a way of 
surprising the owner by bearing heavily now and then. The 
first year the writer went on his farm he received a check for 
$48 for his apples, which was like finding money, for he had 
not counted on any income from this source. 

Timber and Wood. On some farms there is standing 
timber and a large amount of firewood. This is as good as 
money in the bank. It is probable the price of lumber will 
never be less than it is now, and firewood is steadily appreci- 
ating in value. The man with a good-sized wood lot can put 



24 

in his winters pleasantly and profitably, and the sale of wood 
will go a long ways toward the support of himself and family. 

CHANCES OF EMPLOYMENT. 

The country offers a man many chances of employment. 
While wages are not as high as in the city, yet, as has been 
shown, the cost of living is much less. The traditional work- 
ing day of the fathers — "from sun to sun" — is no longer in 
evidence, and the man in the country works only nine hours, 
or, at the most, ten. The trades most in demand are carpen- 
ter's, painter's and mason's. If a man is master of one of these 
he can be sure of employment at least six months out of the 
twelve. Unskilled labor is also in great demand. If a man 
is strong and willing, ready to turn his hand to anything", it 
is surprising the number of jobs that will come his way. His 
wife, too, can find plenty of employment, if she is willing to 
work. If she is a skilled milliner or dressmaker her advent 
into a country town will be hailed with delight, and if she is 
willing to take in washing or go out to help she can have more 
than she can do. The price of unskilled labor in the country 
is for men from $1.50 to $2.00 a day and for women from 12 to 
15 cents an hour. 

WORK IN FACTORIES. 

In many country towns there are factories of some kind 
where a man can find employment. Some of these factories 
make a practice of taking on additional help in winter. In 
these factories, too, there are good chances for women and 
children to earn something. I have known a man and his wife 
in one year in a shoe shop to earn enough to put up a pretty 
and substantial set of buildings. 

CHANCES FOR CLERKS AND PROFESSIONAL MEN. 

The clerk or professional man who goes on a farm is at a 
disadvantage at first, compared with his brother who is accus- 
tomed to work with his hands, because he seems to have noth- 
ing to sell that the country wants. What the country needs, 
and what the country is willing to pay for, is muscle, and the 
clerk or professional man is generally short on that. How- 
ever, let him not despair; the country has something for him, 
too. In most towns there is a fine chance for a man to make a 
good living buying and selling poultry and eggs. Between 



25 

what the farmer gets and what the city grrocer is wilHng to 
give there is often quite a margin. A man can make five dol- 
lars a day, two days a week, running his team out among the 
farmers. He should take along a few standard poultry sup- 
plies, and will find that they sell well and yield a good profit. 

SUMMER BOARDERS. 

The American people have the vacation habit, and every 
summer hundreds of thousands of them go to the country, the 
seaside or the hills for recreation and rest. If one is equipped 
for summer boarders there is no way in which one can make 
money so fast. It is hard work, especially for the women 
folks, but the season is short. Rates of board run from $5 to 
$7 a week for single guests and from '$10 to $12 for two, and 
in some cases even higher. The city man who goes into the 
country and buys a farm should be much better qualified to 
cater to the wants of summer boarders than the average 
farmer, 'for he knows what they want. Plenty of berries and 
vegetables, poultry, eggs, milk and cream are what the sum- 
mer boarder wants, and all these are produced on the farm. 

OTHER CHANCES. 

There are a few other chances for an educated man to pick 
up a little money in a country town, which occur to me as I 
write. Something may be done in insurance. Farmers as a 
general thing do not insure their lives, but nearly every farmer 
recognizes the importance of carrying insurance on his prop- 
erty. Not every company will take farm risks, but there are 
good ones that do. It takes some time to work up an insur- 
ance business, but once established it runs on from year to- 
year with but little effort. There is in every country town a 
demand for a man who can draw up conveyances, write wills 
and advise on a few elementary principles of law. If a man is 
qualified to teach he can generally find a school which will pay 
him $40 to $50 a month for the winter term. The leading peri- 
odicals of the country pay good commissions to agents, and 
pay for renewals as well as new subscriptions. If a man has 
no false pride he can do a good business in the fall and winter 
in this line. 

Perhaps in closing a leaf from life may be interesting. 
Since moving upon his farm the writer has supplied pulpits,. 
written insurance, contributed to papers, looked after invest- 



26 

ment for a relative, and in short done whatever his hand could 
find to do. All this has been in addition to his work on the 
farm. The first year he earned in various ways $928.73. His 
^experience has convinced him that if a man is in earnest, and 
is willing to turn his hand to any honest work, he will succeed. 
No man ever yet starved to death on a farm. 



CHAPTER V. 



Side Lines That Pay. 



While it might be possible for a man to make a living from 
poultry and eggs alone, yet it would not be wise for him to try 
to do so. If a man keeps hens enough to keep him busy all the 
time, he will have to keep enough to keep him more than busy 
a part of the time. If he keeps the number he can care for 
comfortably in rush times he will not have enough to keep him 
busy at other times. Hens work in well with other things ; 
they furnish a large amount of valuable fertilizer which should 
be utilized ; they consume by-products that would otherwise 
be wasted ; they can be kept on ground that at the same time 
may be used for other things, notably fruits. It would seem 
to be good judgment, therefore, to combine poultry keeping 
with other lines. 

PIGEONS. 

Where a man is properly located there is no side line that 
will give him better returns than pigeon raising. I am aware 
that pigeon raising as a business enterprise is looked upon with 
suspicion by many, such extravagant cFaims have been made 
for it by those who have stock to sell. And yet an acquaint- 
ance with the business has convinced me that where a man is 
well located with reference to markets, begins on a small scale 
and thoroughly masters the subject, gives his pigeons careful 
attention, there is no line in which there is such "easy money" 
as squab growing. 

To begin with, pigeons are much less care than hens ; they 
look after themselves. In pigeon raising the most laborious 
and unsatisfactory part of the hen business is eliminated: the 
incubation and care of the 3^oung. There is no incubator to 
manage, no "moisture problem" to trouble one, no fussy sitting 
hen to bother with, no brooder to look after. Pigeons build 
their own nests, hatch their own eggs, rear their own young, 
and take care of them until they are ready to be sent to market 
or start in to housekeeping for themselves. If necessary, one 



28 



can leave his pigeons all day, while he attends to other work, 
as there are no eggs to gather and the flock may be automati- 
cally fed. 

A pair of good-working Homer pigeons will rear from six 
to eight broods of young ones in the course of a year, and I 
have known an unusually good pair to rear eleven broods. 




Scene in the Pigeon Yard on a July morning. — The Building where 250 

Pigeons are housed cost but $50.00. It was 

originally a hen liouse. 

Squabs bring from 40 to 60 cents a pair in the Boston markets, 
according to the season. It is estimated that it costs 10 cents 
a month to feed a pair of Homers, and the old birds feed their 
own young. Reckoning the price at which squabs ma}' be sold 
at the minimum, 40 cents a pair, and the increase eight pairs a 
year, cost of feeding $1.20, and we have a net profit of two 
dollars from each pair of working Homers. I know a success- 
ful business man who draws $50 a week from his business for 
personal expenses. This man engages in pigeon raising as a 
side line. And he tells me that the money comes easier from 
his pigeons than it does from his business. 



29 

Any house that is adapted to poultry is adapted to pigeons. 
It is generally safe to allow five square feet of floor space for 
each pair, and put put over 25 pairs together in a pen. Besides 
the house space, pigeons need a flying pen, which should be 
at least twice as large on the ground as the breeding pen. The 
flying pen should be eight or ten feet high, and should be 
roofed with poultry wire as well as have poultry wire on the 
sides. 

The two secrets of successful pigeon raising are perfect 
sanitation and complete mating. Pigeons are subject to two 
serious diseases — canker and diarrhoea. Canker is a filth dis- 
ease, and diarrhoea is caused by improper or unseasonable diet. 
If the water for the daily bath is allowed to stand long enough 
to become polluted and the pigeons drink it, the germs of can- 
ker are introduced. And if care is not exercised in regard to 
diet, diarrhoea is likely to break out. 

Pigeons are generally given their feed in hoppers, and the 
standard ration is a mixture of red wheat and cracked corn — 
much more corn being fed in winter than in summer. Pigeons 
are also given peas, Kaffir corn and pigeon feed. Grit and 
charcoal must be kept before them all the time and also plenty 
of oyster shells. Pigeons build their own nests (two boxes 
being provided for each pair), but must be furnished with 
nesting material — tobacco stems in summer and straw in 
winter. 

Squabs are generally marketed when four weeks old. Their 
necks are wrung and they are shipped undressed. They are 
handled by commission merchants, who pay from 40 to 70 
cents a pair for squabs weighing from 9 to 10 pounds a dozen, 
according to the season of the year. Prices are at their. lowest 
in June and July and at their highest in February and March. 

To realize the largest profits one needs a good summer 
market close at hand. In many places this market already 
exists, and in nearly every place of any size it may be created. 
The consumption of squabs is likely to largely increase in the 
future, ^nd there does not seem to be any danger that tlie busi- 
ness Avill be overdone. 

Pigeon raisers may add considerably to their profits by 
selling birds for breeding purposes. Pigeon raising is a new 
business in most localities, and its picturesqueness and possi- 
ble profitableness make a strong appeal to many. Scores start 
in with a few birds in every village every year, only to abandon 
the enterprise in a few weeks or months, and these beginners 



30 



make good cusioniers for stock. In pigeon raising, as in every- 
thing" else, it is the man who stays with the business wha 
succeeds. 

DUCKS. 

The profitableness of duck culture is not preached so 
assiduously as it was a few years ago, but where a man's place 
is adapted to it and where he is well located as regards mar- 
kets, he may, as in the case of pigeons, embark in it to ad- 
vantage. Ducklings are easier' to raise than chicks, grow 
faster, are unmolested by vermin and are not subject to disease. 
They are easily confined — a two-foot wire fence will keep them 
enclosed. While a stream or pond is an advantage in raising 
ducks, 3'et some successful duck raisers grow them without 
this accessory. They need plenty of water to drink and to 
rinse their faces in, but more than this is not needed. In the 
case of ducks besides the eggs and meat, there is another 
source of revenue — the feathers. 

POULTRY KEEPING AND GENERAL FARMING. 

As a matter of fact, three-fourths of the eggs produced in 
the United States are produced on farms, where poultry keep- 
ing is a side line. Hens pay on the farm, there is no doubt of 
that, but it is a qviestion whether it would pay a man to com- 
bine poultry keeping on a large scale with general farming. 
Hens pay on the farm because they are allowed to shift for 
themselves and pick up a great part of their own living. Fifty 
hens may range at will and not be a nuisance, but five hundred 
hens roaming at large would be as destructive as a Kansas 
cyclone. If a man keeps five hundred> hens he must house 
them, yard them, feed them, and devote considerable time to 
their care, it is a question whether this time may not be more 
profitably spent in regular farm work. Other things being 
equal, it does not pay a man to disturb a routine he has estab- 
lished and which is reasonably profitable to try a new thing. 

> 
MARKET GARDENING. 

Where soil and site are favorable poultry keeping" works 
in well with market gardening, as I demonstrate elsewhere. 
Summer, which is the market gardener's busy season, is the 
time when the poultryman's duties are light. The poultryman 
has at his command a large amount of stimulating manure, 
which is just the thing for early crops. It is surprising", too,. 



31 

what a demand there is for early vegetables, even in country 
towns. Marketmen will tell you that they cannot begin to 
supply the demand from the local growers, but have to send 
away for a great part of their stuff. If a man has a small green- 
house he can add largely to his profits, and even with two or 
three hot beds can force the season. Asparagus, early peas, 
string beans, green corn, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, beets, 
etc., are money makers not to be despised. The beauty of mar- 
ket gardening is that there is no long wait — a man gets returns 
from his investment at once. ' 

STRAWBERRIES. 

Probably the ideal combination, where conditions are 
favorable, is poultry keeping and straw^berry growing. Straw- 
berries are the one berry of which people cannot get enough. 
It is surprising how many boxes the market will absorb. In 
the little town in which I live I have known one dealer to sell 
250 boxes in a day. In order to grow strawberries to advant- 
age, three things are needed — rich, moist land, clean culture, 
plenty of cheap help in the picking time. By a suitable selec- 
tion of varieties the fruiting season may be extended to full 
four weeks. For New England the following varieties are rec- 
ommended : Early — Fairfield, Senator Dunlap, Virginia; mid- 
season — Sample, Glen Mary, Abington, Brandywine, Minute- 
man. Parson's Beauty; late — Stevens' Late Champion; latest. 
Rear Guard. 

For growing on light soil, Minute-man and Haverland 
pollenized with Meade or Senator Dunlap ; for medium to 
heavy soil, Sample pollenized with either Brandywine, Abing- 
ton, Parson's Beauty or Senator Dunlap ; Glen Mary. The 
latter variety may be planted alone if desired. Plant new 
varieties in a small way, or better still, allow the experiment 
stations to test them for you. 

The grower of strawberries may add considerable to his 
income by the sale of plants. There are many in every com- 
munity who have their own strawberry bed. They are accus- 
tomed to send away for plants, but will buy at home if they 
can get what they want. One cannot get as large prices for 
plants sold around home as he could if he advertised and got 
out a catalogue ; but half a cent a plant for the common varie- 
ties and a cent a plant for the newer ones will pay a man well. 
The question arises in this connection : If I sell plants do I 
not create competitors who will cut into my berry business? 



32 

It IS the experience of strawberry growers that the sale of 
plants does not injure the berry trade. New varieties are 
coming out all the time. If a man has a reputation for grow- 
ing good stuff his customers will stick to him. The w^ay to 
succeed is to do things a little better and a little dift'erent from 
the other fellow, and then let the public know it. 

RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES AND CURRANTS. 

The grower of strawberries will be likely to add "bush 
fruits," as they are called, to his collection. Raspberries and 
blackberries are not so satisfactory to handle as strawberries, 
as it is more difficult to keep them under control ; but where a 
plantation is well established it is profitable. Raspberries 
especiall}^ pay well, as the demand is good and the price high. 
The raspberry grower has a clearer field for his wares than the 
strawberry grower, for owing to the soft and fleshy nature of 
the fruit it does not stand shipment well and the demand must 
be supplied from near home. Currants also have a limited 
sale, and owing to their extraordinary productiveness are 
profitable. In raspberries the money making varieties are the 
Kansas and Cuthbert ; in blackberries, the Snyder; in currants. 
Red Cross, Wilder or Cherry. 

PEACHES AND PLUMS. 

These do not yield so quick returns as vegetables, berries 
and bush fruits ; but when the orchard is established, the work 
is less and the profits large. The poultryman who plants 
peaches and plums in his garden has the great advantage of 
using his land for a double purpose. Peaches are profitable 
in the peach belt, but when one gets out of the region where 
they grow naturally, it does not pay to bother with them. 
Plums are hardier, and are adapted to a wider range of terri- 
tory. 

Any land that will grow good corn will grow peaches and 
plums. Some set the trees in holes dug for the purpose, but I 
get better results by plowing the land and growing the trees 
the first year or two among hoed crops. In buying trees get 
them as near home as possible. They will be more likely to 
live, as they can be set immediately upon being dug up, and 
the price is less. One should not pay over 10 or 15 cents for 
trees suitable to set out. 

This book is written for the latitude of southeastern New 



33 

England, and all varieties mentioned in this chapter are the 
ones adapted for money-making here. Other parts of the 
country will perhaps require a different selection. I would 
advise the reader to write to the pomologist of his State 
experiment station for a list of trees and fruits best adapted 
to his locality. For my section the best varieties are as fol- 
lows : Peaches — Greensboro, Waddell, Carman, Champion 
(delicious late peach), Elberta, Crosby (the best yellow peach 
known) ; plums — Red June, Abundance, Satsuma (superb for 

canning). 

It is good judgment to set a few quince trees in the runs, 

and also a few late pears. 

APPLES. 

The easiest and simplest way in which a man can make 
a Hving, I believe, is to have an apple orchard of from two 
hundred to five hundred trees, and to keep hens among the 
trees on the colony plan. One drawback to an orchard is that 
it takes it so long to grow. But in buying a farm, a man can 
sometimes find one with an apple orchard already established 
upon it ; and if the trees are young and well selected, each tree 
is worth at least $10 on the price of the farm. Where there 
is no orchard it will pay a man in middle life to set one out, 
for the time is coming wdien he will want to make his money 
the easiest way. In setting out trees, I would urge greater 
space given to fall fruit. The trees grow fast, the apples sell 
well, and there is not so much competition as on the winter 
varieties. Everybody knows what varieties of apples sell best, 
so it is hardly necessary for me to enumerate them. But if I 
were setting out 100 tre^s, I would have the proportion as 
follows: Astrachan 1, Early Harvest 1, Golden Sweet 1, Grav- 
enstein 15, Mcintosh Red 15, Rhode Island Greening 5. North- 
ern Spy 10, Ben Davis 10, Roxbury Russet 7, Baldwin 35. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Houses and Yards. 



One of the greatest problems that confronts the poultry- 
man is the location and construction of his plant. It is here 
that, more men meet their Waterloo than anywhere else. I 
have visited many of the leading breeders of the East, and 
before coming away have asked this question : "If you were 
starting anew would you build and locate your houses just as 
they are now?" And in nearly every case, I think, the answer 
has been, "No." The man has gone on and suggested modi- 
fications and improvements that I could see would be of great 
advantage. 

It is my purpose in this chapter to describe two poultry 
houses — one for layers and one for young stock — such as 1 
have demonstrated in my own experience to be practical and 
economical. Indeed, I do not see how either of them can be 
improved. If a man will think out his plant in advance and 
determine where he will build if his business grows, and then 
begin with one laying house and two of the smaller houses, he 
will Inake no mistake, but will be in a position to advance from 
year to year. 

LAYING HOUSE. 

There seems to be a tendency on the part of poultrymen 
to-day to larger flocks. There wa€ a time not so long ago 
when it was believed that twelve or fifteen birds were all that 
should be kept together where the maximum egg product was 
desired. It has been found, however, that fowls may be kept 
together in any number up to fifty with good results, provided 
they are given ample room and their quarters are kept clean 
and sanitar}'. It would seem to be good judgment, therefore, 
to build a house sufl(iciently large to accommodate fifty laying 
hens, and to make this number the unit in one's calculations. 
Fifty hens in one flock may be cared for as easily as fifteen. 
They re([uire but one feed hopper, one drinking dish, one box 
with grit and oyster shells, one dust bath, and all may be fed 
their grain ration at the same time. A 50-hen house, therefore, 
is oin- first consideration. 



35 




36 

The house shown in the picture is 24_fcet long and 12 feet 
deep. 7 feet high in front and 45-2 feet high in the rear. The 
foundatioTiS are old railroad ties set 2J/2 feet in the ground and 
cut ofT six inches above the surface. There are five of these 
in front and five in the rear. The end sills and floor timbers 
are also supported in the middle by piers of stones. This gives 
stififness to the fran^ie. although not absolutely needed. 

In the construction of the frame, 2x4 joists are used. Th^ 
sills are 4x4, but no other heavy timber is employed. The 
uprights are placed three feet apart, and the floor and roof 
timbers 30 inches. The frame is covered with pine or hemlock 
boards, and there is a double floor. 

The roof is double pitch, with one side much longer than 
the other. The rafters in the short pitch are 3 feet long and 
those in the long pitch 10 feet. The distance from the floor to 
the highest point of the roof is a little over 8 feet. 

The house faces south, as all poultry houses should. There 
are in fr(jnt two windows of glass, each light 9x12. These 
windows are made in one piece and are wdiat is known in the 
East as ''storm windows." They are screwed to the frames 
and are not intended to be removed. There is also one of these 
glass windows in the east end. This gives a splendid distribu- 
tion of light, and the house has sunshine all the day long. The 
windows are set 20 inclies from the floor. Besides the glass 
windows there are two windows for the admission of fresh air, 
■each 4 feet long by 3 feet high. These windows are covered on 
the outside with poultr}- wire, and on the inside there are 
frames made of 3-inch stuft' and covered with 10-ounce duck. 
These frames are so arranged that they may be swung up and 
fastened tu the rcof during the day and closed and buttoned 
at night, or in stormy weather. As a matter of fact, for eight 
months in the year the frames are fastened to the roof and are 
not let down at all. The reader wnll perceive that I believe in 
plenty of fresh air for hens. 

The arrangement of the interior is very simple. There is 
a roost platform 16 feet long and 3^^ feet wide on the back 
side. This platform is 2y2 feet from the floor, and the perches 
are 8 inches above it. The platform is boarded in at the west 
end, and if one desires he can arrange a curtain to drop down 
in front of the birds when they have gone to roost at night. 

Running along the west end is another platform 18 inches 
high and 24 inches wide. This platform is for the nests. For- 
merly I placed the nests under the roost platform, as is com- 



37 

monly the case, but this required so much stooping and pulling" 
out of nests to gather the eggs that I decided to introduce a 
nest platform, and find it a great con\enience. The nests are 
up oft" the Hoor, out of the way, and are easily accessible to 
both the laying hen and the owner. 

The only other furniture in the house is two shelves six 
inches from the floor, one for the grit and shell box and the 
other for the feed hopper and the dust box. It will be seen 
that every inch of floor space except the small amount recjuired 
for the dust box, is available for scratching and exercise. 

The sides and ends of the house are covered with Neponset 
roofing, painted soon after being put on, and the roof is 
shingled. A saving in cost might be eft'ected by covering the 
roof with Neponset, painting it, and then in a few years after, . 
when the Neponset begins to wear through, putting on 
shingles. I have tried many things, but I have never found 
anything so good as shingles for a roof. Next to shingles I 
put Paroid, which is easy to apply and will last for years. 

The cost of this house, exclusive of labor, is about $50. It 
will cost more in localities where lumber is high. 

HOUSE FOR YOUNG STOCK. 

Besides houses for his laying hens, every poultryman needs 
a number of houses for his young stock. As a general thing 
these houses are quite cheaply constructed, and I have known 
a breeder to rear prize winners in old piano boxes. But where 
a man is not too greatly cramped for capital, it will pa}' him 
to put up good, substantial buildings for his young stock. 
They will last longer and be more satisfactory. There is a 
time in the fall when every breeder is crowded for room, and 
these houses which I am about to describe will come in handy 
for supplementary quarters. 

The houses for young stock are each 12 feet long by 8 feet 
wide, 7j% feet in front by 5 feet in the rear. The sills, plates, 
rafters, studs and floor timbers are all of 2x4 stuft', and I put 
in enough to make a stiff frame. 

The floor is double, as in the other house, and is made of 
boards. The roof is single slope or shed roof, as it is called. 

The foundation for the house is made of old railroad ties. 
Instead of setting the ties in the ground, as is the case Avith 
the other house, the ties are sawed into sections 16 inches long 
and laid down upon the grass and the sills laid upon them.. 
For a light house this answers all right. It also makes it con- 



38 




39 

^•enient when one wishes to move the house from time to 
time to get it on new soil. 

The house is covered with Neponset put on over sheathing- 
l^aper, and the roof is covered with Paroid. Both sides and 
roof are kept carefully painted to protect the paper. 

I ought to have added to my description of the laying house 
that I use some kind of lining or sheathing paper under the 
Xeponset siding. One cannot have a poultry house too wind 
proof and free from draughts. 

In the house for young stock there is no glass window in 
front, but its place is taken by an open window, 4 feet by 4, 
divided into two parts by a joist or scantling. This window is 
covered with poultry wire and is fitted with a curtain which 
is tacked to a frame. The frame is fastened to the upper joist 
by three back-flap hinges and the greater part of the time is 
swung up and hooked to the roof. As the house is used prin- 
cipally in warm weather, the curtain is kept hooked up the 
greater part of the time, and is only let down and fastened 
(luring a storm. 

The frame for the curtain is of three-inch boards, with a 
support running down the center. As the house is not in- 
tended to be used in the very coldest weather, the covering 
for the frame is not of duck, but of cotton cloth, oiled. 

As the house would be somewhat dark with the curtain 
down, if there were no other means of admitting light, I have 
inserted a single window in each end. The windows are what 
are known as cellar windows and have three lights each, the 
square of glass being 10 by 12 inches, and cost 50 cents apiece. 

The following is an estimate of the materials required : 
Hemlock boards. 564 feet; spruce joists, 2x4, 218 running feet; 
spruce joists, 2x3 (roosts), 24 running feet; matched pine for 
doors, 20 feet; finish, 3-inch, 60 feet; finish, 4-inch, 60 feet; 
Xeponset roofing, 250 feet ; sheathing paper, 250 feet ; Paroid, 
110 feet. Two small windows for ends, hardware, sheeting, 
etc. . The cost of this house, where a man does his own work, 
is not far from $25. 

I make use of these houses from March up to about Christ- 
mas. After the young stock is removed from them in the fall 
or earl}^ winter, they are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, 
and the floor is covered with fine gravel or sand. The house is 
then allowed to rest until needed for the chicks in the spring. 
When taken front the incubator they are put into these houses. 



40 

50 to a house. When the chicks are six or eight weeks old, the 
brooder is removed, but the chicks are allowed to remain. 
When they are 10 or 12 weeks old, low perches or roosts are 
introduced, and the chicks encouraged to use them. When 
the cockerels get old enough to begin to pay attention to the 
other sex, they are separated from the pullets and put in houses 
by themselves. 

The pullets are allowed to remain in their houses until they 
begin to lay, when they are removed to their permanent quar- 
ters in the laying house. Sometimes, however, when I am 
crowded for room, the pullets are allowed to stay longer, even 
up to Christmas. But I like to get them into the laying house 
as soon as they begin to lay, for any interference with a laying- 
hen has a tendency to check egg production. 

YARDS. 

In my opinion too much space is often given to yards, and 
valuable land devoted to the purpose which could be better 
utilized in growing crops. Unless the yard is large enough to 
maintain a stand of grass in spite of the depredations of the 
fowls, there is no particular need of going to the expense of 
wiring in a large space ; for if you have watched hens in con- 
finement you have doubtless noticed that they restrict them- 
selves to a comparatively small area. They need a place for 
dusting, for exercise, for outdoor enjoyment, but it need not 
be large. 

Shade is a necessity in the yards, and if it is not provided 
naturally it must be artificially. Remember that it is in the 
hot season of the 3'ear that the hens are outdoors, and they 
need protection from the fierce heat of the sun. An apple 
orchard or a grove of standing timber makes an ideal yard. 
If there is no shade and trees are to be planted for the purpose, 
plum and peach should be given the preference, for they grow 
faster than the apple and give good results. 

Yards should run to the rear of the houses, and not to the 
front. Where yards run to the rear each house is directly 
accessible, and one does not have to open and shtit half a dozen 
gates and penetrate a labyrinth of yards to get where he wants 
to go. I believe that I was the first writer on poultry topics 
to advocate running the yards to the rear, but now many are 
falling into line with me. 

Formerly it was the custom to run a bottom board along 
the ground, from post to post, nail the wire to. and also to 



41 

crown the fence with a top rail ; btit this practice is no longer 
followed. It is made nnnecessary by the fact that wire is now 
manufactured with horizontal strands running the whole 
length, and with meshes smaller at the bottom than at the 
top. This wire tloes not sag or buckle and follows the contour 
of the land. 

Posts should be planted one rod apart. Aside from the 
corner posts, which are subjected to considerable strain, large 
posts are not needed. Small, cheap posts, which can easily 
be inserted in the ground by means of a bar and sledge, are as 
good or better than expensive posts of cedar or chestnut. 
Young pines that have died on the stump from too close 
crowding, make excellent posts, and may be bought for about 
five cents each. Removing the bark and dipping them in hot 
creosote up to about six inches above their ground line greatly 
increases their durability. It does not pay to spend much time 
and money upon the construction of the yards, for the wire 
should be removed every few years and the ground ploughed 
up and planted to renovate it. 

LiTER.vruRE. — "Practical Poultry Houses" b}^ A. F. Hunter, should be 
in the hands of all who plan to build. Fully illustrated with half-tone 
and line engravings, taken from actual photographs on plants, and per 
drawings of plans by a competent draughtsman — 96 pages. Price, 50 cents. 
American Poultry Alvocate, Syracuse, N. Y. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Incubation and Broodins:. 



Possibly a man might run a poultry plant and make a suc- 
-cess of it and use only hens to hatch and brood the chicks, yet 
it would take a mighty smart man to do so. In order to secure 
the laying stock chicks must be got out in large numbers and 
got out in the spring, and it is not always possible to get a 
supply of sitting hens when they are most needed. Then it is 
always the best and earliest laying hens that want to sit first; 
and to employ them for this purpose means that you lose their 
■egg output when you need it most, and doom yourself to breed 
from inferior layers. You lose the time of your hens, the feed 
they consume, and the extra labor on your own part when you 
hatch and brood in the good old-fashioned way. An incubator 
is always ready to sit, never breaks eggs, never leaves the nest, 
never inoculates the chicks with lice as soon as they are born ; 
and a brooder rightly handled and not overloaded will bring- 
up chicks much better than any old hen you ever saw. 

SELECTING AX .INCUBATOR. 

I receive many letters in the course of a year from persons 
who wish to know what is the best make of incubator. In 
repl}' I tell them I do not know, but can tell them the name of 
the one I run. I suppose there is no best. There are a dozen 
incubators on the market, any one of which will do good work. 
"It is the man behind the gun" we used to say during our war 
with Spain : and it is the man behind the incubator who is 
responsible for success or failure. The man who gets a 90 per 
•cent, hatch Avith one machine could probably duplicate it with 
another if he should try. 

The best size for a machine is probably somewhere about 
.200 eggs. A 50 per cent, hatch is regarded as a good one for 
an incubator. This will give a man 100 chicks at a run. If he 
wants fewer he can put in fewer eggs, and if he wants more 
lie can get another machine. A 200-egg inctibator may be run 
with 100 eggs, but a 100-egg machine cannot be run with 200. 
It takes little more oil. if any, for a 200-egg incubator than for 



43 

a smaller one, no more lime to attend it, and the 200-egg' 
machine is generally more satisfactory. On the other hand 
should the hatch go wrong-, as will sometimes happen, 200 eggs 
are enough to spoil ; and for this reason I do not recommend 
the purchase of extra large machines. The 200-egg incubator 
is the standard. 

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS CLOSELY. 

Accompanying- each machine as it comes from the factorv 
is an illustrated chart showing- how to set it up and a book of 
directions for operating- it. Follow 'the instructions closelv. 
It's a difficult thing to bea^ a man at his own game, and the 
incubator makers have been at it for years. They are more 
anxious to have you succeed than you are yourself, for success 
means that you tell your friends about their machine and so 
influence future buyers. They ought to know their own ma- 
chine. Set the incubator where the temperature is the most 
uniform, least subject to variations. A cellar is the best or the 
worst place. A cellar that is moderately moist and contains 
no artificial heating apparatus is the best place for an incu- 
bator, and a cellar with a heater or furnace about the worst. 
After you get the incubator adjusted run it two or three davs 
before putting in the eggs. 

SOME INCUBATOR CAUTIONS. 

You \\-ill trim and till yuur lamp once a day and turn the 
eggs twice ; but after doing these things the less you touch 
your incubator or go near it the better. There is a weird 
fascination about an incubator, and- one can hardly leave it 
alone. But the less you monkey with it the better. This is 
-especially true in hatching time. The thermometer will do all 
kinds of stunts, and you will be tempted to keep your hand on 
the regulator. But if the incubator has been running well 
through the hatch, let it alone. After the eggs are through 
hatching it may be well to open the door and quickly remove 
the egg trays. This will give you a better chance to see the 
■chicks and will give them more room. 

The thermostat may need slight adjustment se\-eral times 
•during the hatch. The best way to see the thermometer is to 
use an egg tester to flash light into the machine. This should 
he done every morning and night before you turn the eggs. 



44 

INSURANCE. 

Before you start in to run an incubator in your house 
secure a written permit from A'our insurance agent to do so. 
There is very little danger of fire from an incubator, and the 
company would probably indemnify you even if there were no 
such addenda to your policy. But it is better to be safe than 
to be sorry. Most companies grant such a permit upon appli- 
cation, while a few refuse to do so. If you are insured in a 
company of the latter kind the only thing to do is to surrender 
vour policy and take out another in a more progressive con- 
cern. 

TESTING THE EGGS. 

Eggs should be tested at the end of the seventh and again 
at the end of the fourteenth day. In the first test all infertile 
egg's should be removed. These may be told by the fact that 
they are perfectly clear, while the fertile eggs show a dark 
spot from which radiate red, spider}' lines. An air cell also has 
begun to form. In the second test it will be found that some 
of the germs that began to develop have died, and these eggs 
should be taken out. A little practice will soon enable one to 
distinguish a fertile from an infertile egg. and to tell whether 
the egg is incubating satisfactorily or not. 

THE MOISTURE PROBLEM. 

Why IS it that the best incubator made will seldom hatch 
as large a ])er cent, of the eggs as a hen? The common idea 
is. lack of moisture. Incubator manufacturers say otherwise. 
They say that the air constant!}' circulating around the eggs 
supplies moisture, and that no artificial moisture is necessary. 
I said just a moment ago that the reader should follow the 
instructions of the manufacturer carefully and not think he 
can beat a man at his own game. But in the matter of moist- 
ure I am inclined to make an exception — I believe there are 
times when moisture may be supplied to advantage. 

A certain amount of evaporation is necessary from the 
Qgg, whether in an incubator or under a hen, or the air cell 
will not form, and the chick will die. But if the evaporation 
is too great the chick becomes weak and ^shrunken and the 
membrane inside the shell tough and leathery, so that when 
the period of incubation is completed the chick cannot extrude 
itself. The problem, therefore, is to keep the air cell the right 
size. A good way for the beginner is to set some eggs under 



45 

a hen at the same time he starts his incubator, and whenever 
he tests the eggs in the incubator to test those under the hen. 
If the air cell in both cases is the same size, the moisture prob- 
lem is taking care of itself. But if the air space in the eggs in 
the incubator is much larger than the air space in the eggs 
under the hen, evaporation is too rapid and should be checked. 
Moisture may be supplied by means of water in shallow pans 
set under the egg trays, by a wet sponge introduced into the 
incubator, by shallow boxes filled with wet sand, or by 
sprinkling the eggs with water of the temperature of 95 
degrees. 

VENTILATION. 

Closely connected with the subject of moisture is the sub- 
ject of ventilation. During the first four days of incubation 
the germ wdll develop with very little ventilation. After the 
fourth day the air cell begins to form, and then more ventila- 
tion is necessary ; on the seventh day the germ requires treat- 
ment according to local conditions ; in cold w^eather, more heat 
and less ventilation; in warm weather, less heat and more 
ventilation. At an altitude of 500 or 1,000 feet, more ventila- 
tion ; at an altitude of 4,000 feet or more, less ventilation. In 
extremely dry weather or in a high altitude, about the same 
quantity of ventilation is required the third week as during 
the second. 

REMOVING CHICKS TO THE BROODER. . 

Chicks may be allowed to remain in the incubator for 24 
hours after the last one has come out ; they should then be 
removed to the brooder. Meanwhile the brooder should haAC 
been got in readiness. If it has been used before it should 1>e 
washed out thoroughly with warm water and carbolic acid 
soap. The lamp should be cleaned and the burner boiled out. 
A new wick should be put in. After the brooder has dried out 
carpet the floor wnth half an inch of sand or soft earth and then 
si art the lamp. The brooder should be thoroughly warmed up 
l;efore the chicks are put in. 

The temperature under the hover should be 95 when the 
chicks are introduced, and should be kept at 95 the first week. 
Then it may be reduced a degree a day until it gets down to 
70. Some men use no thermometer, but can tell whether the 
temperature is right by the action of the chicks : if they bunch 



46 

together they need more lieat ; if they spread out and appear 
contented the temperature is right. 

MANAGEMENT AND CARE OF BROODER CHICKS. 

Brooder chicks come out from one to three months earher 
than chicks raised in the natural way, and consequently the 
mortality among them is likely to be greater. The brooder 
itself should be kept clean. Every few days the litter should 
be removed and replaced with fresh sand or earth. The chicks 
should be given as much liberty as is consistent with safety. 
They should be let out of the brooders into the brooder house. 
It will be necessary to make a little fence of boards around 
the brooder for the first day or two after they are let out, and 
to guide the little things back into their house when they 
begin to show signs of being cold. But they soon learn. And 
in a short time they may be alloAved to go in and out at their 
own free will. 

It is a good plan to keep the floor of the brooder house 
covered with sand or earth, and to sprinkle it from time to 
time. There is such a thing as having the brooder house too 
dry. Mother Earth has a natural moisture which must be 
reproduced in the brooder house if the chicks are to do their 
best. Not over 50 chicks should be put together. 

HOW TO FEED. 

The chicken business has been relieved of much of its 
drudgery by the introduction of the dry feeding method. 
The poultryman throws in a few handfuls of chick feed four or 
five times a day, and the chicks do the rest. But there is room 
for a few suggestions even here. Chicks need vegetables to 
balance the grains of which the chick feed is composed. A 
blood beet cut in two or a mangel will be eagerly attacked. 
The heart of a cabbage is good. Onions chopped fine are 
relished. A handful of beef scraps scattered over the floor 
once a day will be found and devoured. It is a good rule never 
to give little chicks more chick feed or cracked corn at a time 
than, they will eat up clean. 

I find it a good plan after the chicks are three weeks old 
to keep before them all the time a mixture made up as follows : 
bran, two parts, ground alfalfa, two parts ; bone meal, one part \. 
a little salt, a little charcoal. This is fed dry, and is in addi- 
tion to the chick feed and vegetables. I ought also to add that 
I keep clean, cool water before my chicks from the very start.. 



47 

When my chicks are six weeks or two months old then I 
let them out into their yards. From now on I use the hopper 
system of feeding, and keep feed before them all the time. In 
one compartment of the hopper is a dry mash made as follows : 
two parts ground alfalfa, two parts mixed feed, one part beef 
scraps, a little salt, a little charcoal. The ingredients are com- 
pounded by bulk rather than by weight. In the other com- 
partment of the hopper I keep cracked corn. In their yards 
the chicks find grass, bugs, worms, and later in the season 
apples, peaches and plums. As soon as practicable I separate 
the sexes, and always aim to keep chicks of the same size to- 
gether. 

BARTON BROODER SYSTEM. 

Where one desires to get out chicks early and in large 
numbers, something like a brooder system is necessary. Brood- 
ers such as are sold on the market do not do their best work 
with the thermometer at zero; they are intended for a milder 
temperature. When used in mid-winter they need to be kept 
in a house in which there is a fire. Consequently on large 
plants where extra early chickens are wanted, they are gen- 
erally raised, in large brooder houses in which the pipe system 
has been installed. But this is expensive. Not every man feels 
capable of running a steam heater. Under the pipe system the 
mortality is likely to be large at best, and in case of an acci- 
dent a man may see all the chickens he has on hand perish in 
a few hours. A system less expensive than the pipe system 
and where the unit is the individual brooder wotild seem to be 
what is wanted in the poultry world. 

Aly friend, Mr. O. P. Barton of Seabrook, K. H.. has de- 
vised such a system, and when its merits are known it is likely 
to supersede all others. A description of this system will be 
worth many times the price of this book to anyone interested 
in artificial incubation and brooding. 

Mr. Barton has lately built a new brooding house in which 
his ideas are more fully worked out than in previous ones, and 
I feel that I can best explain the system by describing the ncAv 
brooder house both outside and inside. 

The brooder house shown in the cut is 16x40 feet, and runs 
north and south. It has five-foot posts, and the height from 
the sill to the apex of the double roof is 10 feet. The sills are 
of 4x6 stufif, but all the studding, plates, rafters, etc., are 2x4.- 
The floor is of earth. The building is covered on the roof,, 
sides and ends with a patent roofing. 



48 




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K 



49 

What impresses one most about the building when he sees 
it for the first time is the number of windows. I don't know 
whether Mr. Barton is a member of the Masonic fraternity or 
not, but he certainly believes in light. "There is nothing so 
good for chicks as sunshine," he says. There are 19 windows 
in the house, if I have counted right — four on each side, four 
on each side of the roof, two in front and one in the rear. The 
side windows are half windows, each with six panes 10x18 ; the 
roof windows are each four feet ten inches long by two feet 
eight inches wide ; the front and rear windows are also of 
generous size. 

Opening the door in the south end one steps inside, and 
if the season is winter the transformation is remarkable, for 
we are in a place where sunshine, warmth and life hold car- 
nival. Running the whole length of the house is a central 
walk or aisle, a little over five feet wide. At the north end 
there is a stove, in which, however, fire is kept only in the 
most arctic weather. On both sides of the aisle there are two 
tiers of shelves, which make one think of the bunks in a log- 
ging camp, or, better, the exhibition pens at a poultry show. 
These shelves are divided into compartments, each containing 
53 1-3 square feet. Each compartment is 10 feet long and five 
feet four inches wide. Each compartment has a board floor 
and is enclosed by a wire frame or fence two feet high, so 
arranged that it can be raised or lowered at will. When in 
place the fence is secured by wooden buttons. 

There are four of these pens or compartments in each tier, 
and as there are two tiers on each side, there are 16 pens in 
all. As each pen will hold comfortably 50 chicks, the capacity 
of the house is therefore 800 chicks. But as it is not intended 
to hold the chicks more than six weeks it can be used two or 
three times in a season. Mr. Barton estimates that in a house 
like this he can brood 2,400 chicks from January to July. 

The hovers themselves are of the very simplest construc- 
tion. Those in the upper pens are two feet three inches square, 
and those in the lower pens two feet six inches. They are 
made of narrow matched boards, beaded and mortised to- 
gether, and are set on wooden legs — those in the upper pen 
five inches high and those in the lower six inches. The curtain 
is of thin oilcloth. Mr. Barton uses a double curtain, or rather 
two curtains, so arranged that the flaps "break joints," so as 
to retain as much warmth as possible under the hover. 

Heat comes from a lamp set on a little shelf directly under 



50 

the center of the hover. The shelf is secured by iron straps 
running" from the shelf to the floor above. The lamp is an 
incubator lamp with an "indestructible" glass chimney. 

Above the chimney a circular hole is cut in the floor of the 
brooding compartment, four and a half inches in diameter, 
and this hole comes under the exact center of the hover. This 
hole.is protected by a tin collar, which projects an inch or two 
above and below the floor of the compartment. Above the tin 
is a circular chimney or screen made of fine meshed wire, and 
extending upward to within an inch of the roof of the hover. 
Above this a tin plate is tacked to the hover to protect the 
wood from too great heat. 

Chicks are taken from the incubator and placed in these 
compartments, and in a surprisingly short time they learn 
how to adapt themselves to their surroundings. Mr. Barton 
uses no thermometer, but turns on more or less heat according 
to the weather. At first it seemed to me a mistake to use no 
thermometer, but now I have thought it out I can see why 
none is needed. The heat under the hover must vary in 
degree according to the distance from the chimney or heater, 
being considerably greater near the center than at the edges. 
Unlike other hovers that I know anything about, the center 
of the hover is the lightest part, and this naturally attracts the 
chick as he seeks shelter. As he becomes warm he retires fur- 
ther back, and in this way is always able to find a temperature 
that suits his needs. 

It will be seen that this brooder of Mr. Barton's violates 
several principles that have been considered well established. 
The fumes of the lamp pass directly up into the hover, but 
the chicks seem to sufifcr no ill effects from them. Indeed a 
healthier or happier set of youngsters it would be hard to find. 
I know many men who have made a study of artificial incu- 
bation, but I never met a man who can get such a growth on 
chicks in a given time as Mr. Barton. 

The cost of the brooder house and equipment described 
here was $150, but it is doubtful if it could be duplicated under 
$200. But even .at $200 it is the cheapest and most practical 
brooder system that the writer knows anything about. 

WHITE DIARRHOEA. 

This is the fatal foe that attacks incubator chicks and makes 
them fade away like the mist before the morning and die like 
flies at the approach of autumn. So serious is the disease that 



51 







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in 


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J3 


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S bo 



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.S o. 



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CQ. 



52 

it is predicted in a few years, if a remedy is not found, it will 
be as difficult to raise chickens as it is now to raise turkeys. 
The symptoms are a thin white discharge from the vent soon 
after the chicks are hatched, accompanied by dullness and 
weakness, which almost always proves fatal. 

Mr. Barton thinks he has found a remedy, or rather a pre- 
ventative, for this dread scourge ; it is to spray thoroughly with 
a good germicide or disinfectant. Before using the incubator 
he sprays it with a solution of sulpho-napthol — one teaspoonful 
of sulpho-napthol to one quart of water. He also sprays the 
eggs on the 12th, 15th and 18th day with the solution, applying 
it by means of a whisk broom. Since adopting this method 
Mr. Barton has practically eliminated the disease from his 
houses. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



The Laying Stock. 



Someone has said that it takes three generations to make 
a gentleman. Paraphrasing this remark, I would say that it 
takes at least three generations to make a strain of laying- 
hens. Blood will tell, and like begets like. It is true that 
nutrition is a powerful factor in egg production, but nutrition 
must be supplemented by heredity for best results. You can't 
get eggs out of a hen unless the eggs are there, any more than 
you can get water out of an empty well or seeds out of a navel 
orange ! 

SELECTING THE BREEDERS. 

How shall we tell what birds to breed from? Of course 
where trap nests are used the answer is comparatively easy. 
But few poultrymen can take time to bother with trap nests; 
they have troubles enough without them. So some simple 
method must be thought out. At the Maine Experiment Sta- 
tion, where they are doing some of the best work in poultry 
study in the world, it is found that the pullets that mature 
earliest make the best layers, as shown by the trap nest. By 
maturing, I mean reach full development and do not begin to 
lay prematurely. Says Bulletin 117: "Early maturity in. 
pullets is generally accompanied with physical vigor; and 
when the function of such birds is to produce eggs and they 
give evidence of it, they are certainly the best of their race to 
breed winter layers from, if we accept past experience in 
breeding as our guide." 

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL TEST. 

The practiced eye can tell at a glance whether a pullet is 
ready to lay or not. As she approaches this interesting stage 
her plumage brightens, her comb reddens, and she becomes 
more than ordinarily alert. She begins to croon her mother 
song— to "prate" or "talk eggs," as it is often called. She is 
hungry all the time. But there is a physiological test which 



54 

I shall now describe which is of great value, and which may be 
used to confirm the results of observation. 

It is a well-known fact that in all mammals the pelvic 
bones soften and separate before the female is delivered. The 
pelvic bones are "the two or more bony or cartilaginous pieces 
of the ^•ertebrate skeleton to which the hind limbs are articu- 
lated," Something analogous to what takes place in mam- 
:mals takes place in fowls. In the case of a male or a non- 
laying female the pelvic bones are close together, but in the 
female as the time approaches for her to lay, the bones sepa- 
rate and become pliable until it is possible for an egg to pass 
between them. Such being the case, it is possible to determine 
the female's condition in respect to egg production by exami- 
nation and manipulation of the pelvic bones — the bones found 
just below and on each side of the vent. If these are suffi- 
ciently far apart or can be forced apart by gentle pressure so 
that an egg might pass between them, the hen is in laying 
condition, but if they are close together and rigid, the hen is not 
ready to lay. In the case of a young pullet the pelvic bones 
are close together, but as the egg begins to develop the bones 
begin to separate until as she approaches ovulation they are an 
inch or more apart. In the case of heavily-laying fowls I have 
known the pelvic bones to be separated by at least two inches. 

PULLETS PAY BEST. 

It is my experience that pullets lay better and are more 
profitable every way than hens, and that cockerels are better 
to breed from than older males. I know that this statement 
as it stands Avill be challenged, and I want to qualify it so that 
it cannot be misunderstood. I do not mean that one is to 
breed from undersized, immature pullets, nor from cockerels 
that have not reached the limit of their growth ; but where a 
pullet is hatched in March and begins to lay in October she 
ought to be mature enough the following March to make a 
good dam. And a year-old cockerel is old enough to make a 
good sire. The advantage of keeping young stock is more 
eggs, less sickness and higher fertility than with old. 

I recognize the fact that there are exceptions to this rule. 
A man may have breeders of such vigor and value that it will 
pay him to keep them for years. In exhibition poultry if a 
man has a prize winner he had better keep it until a superior 
is found, even if it is old enough to sprout whiskers. But on 
the ordinary commercial plant, where sentiment does not rule. 



55 

where a man is after the dollars, the quicker he can turn his 
stock the better; and if he renews his laying pens every year, 
his dividends will be all the larger for it. 

CARE OF THE HOUSE. 

The poultry house should be kept clean and supplied with 
everything needed for the health and comfort of the fowls. 
\Mien I speak of keeping- a house clean, I speak relatively. I 
do not expect it to be kept as immaculate as a lady's parlor, 
but to be kept clean enough so that the health of the fowls 
will not suffer. The droppings should be removed at least 
once a week or sprinkled over with land plaster or sifted^ coal 
ashes, and the roosts and side supports should be kerosened 
once a month in winter and once a week in summer. It is a 
good plan to sweep the walls and ceiling and whitewash twice 
a year. During the winter the floor should be covered with 
litter, which should be renewed frequently. In each pen there 
should be a dust box kept well filled with sifted coal ashes, so 
that the hens can take a bath whenever they wish to. 

FEEDING FOR PROFIT. 

Readers of my book, "200 Eggs a Year Per Hen," will find 
in it the subject of feeding treated with considerable detail. 
Several methods are given, and if the poultryman follows any 
one of them he will not go astray. The whole matter of feed- 
ing is summed up as follows : 

"Give the hen a sufficient variety and quantity to meet 
all the needs of her system and leave a margin for egg pro- 
duction. A warm mash in the morning, all she will eat with 
good reUsh in 15 minutes to half an hour. Enough grain 
during the day so that she will go to roost with a crop mod- 
erately full, neither distended on the one hand nor nearly 
empty on the other. Green food, either in the mash or sepa- 
rately. More heating food in winter and more of it than in 
summer. In general it may be said that one ounce of food 
a day for each pound she weighs is about right for the average 
hen." 

Since this was written the method of dry feeding has come 
into considerable prominence. This method consists in feed- 
ing the hens the same products that are fed them by the usual 
method, but in feeding them dry — in other words the wet mash 
is eliminated. Feed is placed in hoppers and kept before the 



56 

fowls all the time, and they are allowed to help themselves. 
A modification of the method is to throw the grains into the 
litter and let the hens scratch for them, while the mash is fed 
■"rom the hopper. 

The great argument in favor of this method is economy 
of time. Everyone who has fed a mash knows how long it 
takes to mix it up so that it will be of the proper consistency 
and feed it to the hens. Where a wet mash is fed it makes it 
necessary to be at the hen house at a given hour each day, 
while under the dry mash system enough feed can be placed 
in the hopper to last the flock a week. It is said that under 
this system a man can take care of at least four times as many 
hens^s he could in the old way. 

A secondary argument in favor of the system is that all 
the fowls get enough to eat. Where a limited quantity of food 
is placed before them the more aggressive and stronger hens 
get the lion's share. As I have heard it expressed, one-third 
the hens get two-thirds the mash. But under the dry-feed 
system there is enough for all — none are turned empty away. 

Probably the dry feed formula that is the most popular is 
that used at the Maine Experiment Station, and is as follows : 

Wheat bran, 200 lbs. 

Corn meal, 100 lbs. 

Wheat middhngs, 100 lbs. 

Linseed meal, 100 lbs. 

Beef scraps, 100 lbs. 

Part of the year the linseed meal is omitted, and the 
amount of beef scraps doubled. 

Another formula that I have used and found very satis- 
factory is this: 

Mixed feed, two parts. 

Ground alfalfa, two parts. 

Corn meal, one part. ■ 

Gluten, one part. 

Beef scraps, one part. 

Salt, charcoal. 

Compound by bulk, and not by weight. 

Perhaps a step in advance is to supply the different ingre- 
dients and let the hens help themselves. I do not believe that 
it is possible for a man to compound a ration that will perfectly 
meet the needs of a flock of 50 fowls, day after day, six months 
at a time. One reason is that their needs differ on different 
days. On a cold day, for example, they need a ration rich 



57 

in carbohydrates, and on a warm day more cooling food. A 
hen that is laying needs more protein than one that is about 
to sit, and a hen that is moulting needs a different diet from 
one well supplied with plumage. 

The logical and scientific way to feed, in my judgment, is 
to assemble the different ingredients in a large hopper with 
at least half a dozen compartments, and give the fowls access 
to this hopper at all times. The grains should be scattered in 
a deep litter twice a day, but the soft feeds may be kept 
constantly before them. 

Let the hens mix their own mash! This is the next step 
in advance in poultry feeding. 

THE WET MASH. 

There are some who still prefer the wet mash, thinking 
it more digestible and appetizing. Let such compound a mash, 
using either of the formulas given, and then let them stir it up 
with boiling water until the whole mass is moist, not sloppy. 
Feed all the fowls will eat clean in half an hour. Feed morn- 
ing, noon or night as you may prefer. 

GREEN FEED. 

Green feed of some kind is necessary if the hens are tO' 
keep in good health and do their best in Qgg production. In 
order for the food to be digested the gastric and pancreatic 
juices must circulate freely, and where the food is concentrated 
these juices cannot penetrate easily. Consequently, digestion 
is not so thorough. Green feed lightens up the mass, and also 
supplies a mild vegetable acid that acts as a tonic to the 
system. 

After the feed has passed through the crop and gizzard it 
enters the intestines, and it is passed along by peristaltic action 
until it is either absorbed or eliminated. It is evident that the 
intestines can do their work more easily if they have to deal 
with a soft, moist, porous mass than they can if they have to 
ptfsh along dry, hard, concentrated fecal matter. Thus the 
health of the fowl demands that the ration shall be bulky 
rather than otherwise, and that green feed shall form a con- 
siderable part of it. 

Where hens have a free grass range they will secure their 
own supply of green feed during the summer months ; but 
where they are confined in their pens or shut up to yards 



58 

denuded of all vegetation, they must be supplied by their 
owner. 

Second growth clover is an ideal green feed, if it can be 
produced at a moderate price. It need not be cut up, but may 
be fed on the stalk, say a bushel a day to every 25 hens ; and 
the stalks may be allowed to remain for litter. 

Cabbages are excellent, and so are mangels. Mangels may 
be grown with little labor, and a small plot of land will produce 
a generous supply, as they grow to immense size. 

Onions are good in limited amounts, but fed too freely 
they flavor the eggs. Cabbages and mangels may be fed 
whole, but onions should be chopped. 

GERMINATED GRAINS— FEED 15 CENTS A BUSHEL. 

Where green feed is not forthcoming in sufihcient quantities 
it can be manufactured with a little effort. It is a well-known 
fact that seeds will germinate at any season of the year if 
supplied with sufficient warmth and moisture. Poultrymcn 
are now taking advantage of this knowledge to produce green 
feed in winter. The process is thus described by Mr. L. E. 
Keyser in the Petaluma Weekly Poultry Journal : 

"Take a quantity of clipped or whole oats and soak them 
in water for 24 hours. Then pour off the water and place the 
oats in a shallow box which has holes in the bottom to let the 
water drain oft'. Night and morning water the oats, using a 
sprinkling pot and warm water. Spread the oats out in the 
box to the thickness of about two inches. This may be done 
as soon as the oats are placed in the box, or they may be left 
in a pile until they begin to sprout ; but continue to water them 
night and morning. In ten days or two weeks, depending on 
the temperature of the room where they are kept, they will be 
readv to feed. The sod should be from three to four inches 
thick, and the growth of green food on top of this will be from 
six to eight inches high. To feed, cut into blocks eight to 
ten inches square. By this process one bushel of oats will 
make about four bushels of feed. . . . With oats at the 
present price . . . this feed costs 15 cents a bushel." 

Barley is recommended by another writer in the same 
paper, Mr. N. S. Trowbridge, as a substitute for oats. Barley 
possesses nearly the same constituents as oats, but as it germi- 
nates more quickly is more desirable for use in winter. The 
method of preparation is the same. The oats or barley should 
be germinated in a moderately warm room, preferably a cellar. 



59 

EXERCISE. 

Laying hens cannot keep in good health and produce the 
maximum number of eggs without a reasonable amount of 
fresh air and exercise. They do not need to be kept on the 
jump from morning until night, and a poultry house is not a 
camp for consumptives. But a certain modicum of fresh air 
and exercise they must have if they are to do their best work 
in egg production. 

Exercise breaks down the old tissues, which must be re- 
placed with new ones. It is on the new wood that the tree 
bears its fruit, and it is with the new tissues that the egg- 
making organs are stimulated. Where the old tissues are not 
broken down with sufficient rapidity, the fowl takes on fat, 
becomes lazy, and comparatively few eggs are produced. 

No matter what system of feeding is adopted, the hens 
should be made to work, and work hard, for a part of their 
ration. To this end the grains that are fed should always 
be scattered in a deep litter, and the hens compelled to dig 
them out. 

While hens are at work in the house the windows should 
be opened, and closed when they are through. On every pleas- 
ant day in winter, when the snow is not too deep, they 
should be let out in their yards for a little while. A few 
minutes' exercise with the snow shovel will furnish the biddies 
with a patch of bare ground which they will greatly appre- 
ciate. 

Mr. O, P. Barton, whom I have referred to more than 
once in this book, hangs two lanters in each pen at five o'clock 
every winter morning; and the hens get down from the roost 
and make the litter fly. In this way he adds two hours to his 
hens' working day. The first week in January this year (1908) 
he got 649 eggs from 158 hens, the highest number for any 
one day being 106. Thus Wisdom is again justified of her 
children. 

SICKNESS IN THE FLOCK. 

Where hens are kept under sanitary conditions and fed 
properly, there will be but little sickness. After more than 
10 years' experience I have come to the conclusion that it 
seldom pays to doctor sick hens — they rarely get well and 
are not worth a continental if they do. They are worthless 
for breeders and receive a check in Qgg production from which 



60 

it takes months to recover. The hen in her normal state lives- 
fast — her temperature is high, respiration rapid, digestion 
good. She enjoys life to the utmost in her way. She is like 
a six-cylinder, 40 horse-power automobile on a good road — as 
long as the road is clear all is well. But let her strike an 
obstruction, take too sharp a curve, or let some piece of hidden 
machinery give way, and the result is disaster and death. 
I am not sure but that God intended this to be so in the case 
of all his creatures. A crowded, vital life, the concluding 
tragedy sharp and short — is not this better than dragging out 
10 to 20 years of chronic invalidism ? I am not sure but that 
the animals have the best of us in this matter after all. . 

The only diseases that I have found it to pay to bother 
with are those that can be treated by the wholesale, and minor 
accidents. Colds may be met by putting a teaspoonful of 
aconite into a gallon of drinking water or giving in the drink- 
ing vessels a few doses of some good roup remedy; and leg 
weakness among brooder chicks by putting a few drops of 
nux vomica ,,into their drinking vessels and feeding a less 
stimulating diet. A dessert-spoonful of castor oil for males 
and for females of the larger breeds is to be recommended 
where the comb turns purple and the liver is sluggish. Reduce 
the dose for smaller birds. Apply carbolated vaseline to 
frosted combs and wattles. Impaction of the crop is easily 
relieved by a slight operation ; and scabies, or scaly legs, can be 
cured by spraying the legs with kerosene. Bumble foot may 
be cured by soaking the foot for half an hour in water as warm 
as tlie hand can comfortably bear, putting on a flaxseed poul- 
tice, until the abscess discharges, and then anointing- the foot 
\yith an ointment made of one part boracic acid and five parts 
vaseline. It is of course understood that the foot is to be kept 
bandaged while the poultice and dressing are applied. Put the 
fowl in a house with low perches. 

When disease breaks out in the flock "remove the sick to 
the hospital, put the worst cases out of their misery, and give 
the milder ones a chance to get well. Feed lightly on warm 
mashes. Thoroughly clean up and disinfect the premises. 

i< BROODY HENS. 

li Where a large egg output is desired, the key to the situa- 
t;ion is found in the treatment of broody hens. Broodiness is 
nature's signal that the vital forces have been drawn upon in 
egg, iproduction and that the hen needs rest. When I find a 



61 

l^roody hen on the nest at night, I remove her to the breaking- 
up pen. carefully noting down in a memorandum slip the day 
of the month and the hen's pen and number. The breaking 
up pen dififers from the other pens only in one particular — the 
nest boxes have been removed. In this pen the broodies have 
their headquarters until the fever abates. They are fed lightly 
— not more than one-fourth the usual amount — and are given 
access to a grass range. Most people are in too great a hurry 
to break up sitting hens. Do not bother them, but let them 
take their own time. In a week or ten days they will be cured. 

LiTER.^TURE. — "200 Eggs a Year Per Hen" by the author of the 
present book, is an invaluable treatise on egg making and its conditions 
It deals with the elementary principles that every poultry keeper should 
know, and has had a sale unparalleled in the history of poultry literature — 
^96 pages. Price, 50 cents. American Poultry Advocate. Syracuse, N. Y. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Business Methods. 



Some of the best and most hard-working farmers that I 
know anything about make only a bare living from the culti- 
vation of the soil. Others who do not work nearly so hard get 
ahead every year. What is the reason for this seeming favor- 
itism of Fortune? It is that the latter are better managers; 
they buy to better advantage, sell at better prices, and look 
more closely after their own interest. As a consequence they 
make a grand success of farming, while the others make only 
a moderate success or perhaps a failure. 

Poultry keeping has its business side. The poultryman 
has to buy and has to sell. He has capital invested. In one 
way he is a business man. It should be his ambition to con- 
duct his business on business principles. 

KEEP ACCOUNTS. 

One reason why more farmers do not keep accounts is 
that in treatises on the subject farm accounts are made too 
elaborate. The farmer is supposed to fit himself out with a 
set of books similar to those of the merchant or manufacturer 
who does a business of a hundred thousand dollars a year. 
This is all nonsense. The simplest kind of bookkeeping is 
enough. Reduced to its lowest terms all the farmer needs is 
to set down on one page his receipts and on the other his 
expenditures, and add them up and balance them at the close 
of each month. 



Let the farmer set down 
on the left hand page what 
he receives in the course of 
a month. 



And on the right hand 
page what he pays out dur- 
ing the same time. 



A good sized diary is as good a book as any for this pur- 
pose, as it is provided with pages for the cash account. In the 
diary, too, the farmer may set down his engagements or obli- 
gations under the date on which they fall due, and also the 
date in which accounts in his favor are to be paid. If he 



63 

desires he can jot down under the appropriate dates interesting- 
and important facts pertaining" to his business : price of eggs 
or fowls, price of grain and other feed stufifs, condition of 
markets, etc. In this way with very Httle trouble the farmer 
can always know approximately how he stands. 

Once a year a man should balance his accounts and take 
an inventory of all he has on hand. In this way he can tell 
whether the year's business has been conducted at a profit or 
at a loss. If at a loss by studying the itemized accounts he 
may possibly be able to determine how he can retrench more 
closely in the year to come. And if at a profit he may perhaps 
discover how next year the profit may be increased. In taking- 
an inventory the farmer should be perfectly honest with him- 
self, and allow for deterioration in values on account of the 
year's wear. 

Sometimes it is desirable to keep accounts with animals 
or impersonal things — such as a horse, a herd of cows, a flock 
of hens, an orchard or a field. It is a convenient plan to per- 
sonify the animals or thing, and in your own mind think of 
Mr. Horse or Madame Cow or Mr. Field. 

Write on the left or debit | And on the right or credit 

side all that you expend in \ side all that the animal or 



money or labor for the bene- 
fit of the animal or thing 
personified. 



thing personified brings to 
you in return. 



Receipts should always be given and taken where the 
amount exceeds five dollars. These receipts should be filed 
away for reference. I find a stout Manila envelope. 7^ by 
10/^ inches, with a patent clasp, excellent for this purpose. 
On the cover I write the year, and keep receipts for any given 
year together. The practice of preserving receipts has saved 
me more than once from paying a bill the second time. 

WHAT IS NEEDED OX A POULTRY FARM. 

The poultry farmer has a great advantage in one particular; 
he does not require such an expensive outfit as in other kinds 
of farming. Poultry farming is light work, and one does not 
need a heavy team or heavy machinery. It is cheaper to 
hire occasionally than to lock up good money in tools and 
machinery that are seldom used. 

There are some things, however, that a poultry farmer must 



64 

have. First and foremost, I place a horse. It does not seem 
Hke Hving- in the country not to keep a horse. Half the pleas- 
ure of country life comes from the ownership of a good family 
horse. Horses are very high nov^, but if one knows how, he 
can get a good one at a reasonable price. On a poultry farm 
a man does not need a heavy horse — one weighing from nine 
to ten hundred is heavy enough. Light horses can be bought 
considerably less than heavy ones. The older the horse, too, 
the less the selling price. And yet a horse 15 years old that 
has always been well cared for and kindly used will outlast 
a horse half his age that has been overworked or neglected. 
There are often chances to get a good family horse at a nom- 
inal price, on condition that the horse be well cared for and 
put out of the way when his days of usefulness are over. 
And in the fall a horse can be bought cheaper than at other 
seasons of the year. 

Carriages, harnesses, robes, etc., may be bought new, or 
may often be purchased at less than half of their original price 
at second-hand. There are always those in every community 
who for one reason or another have these things to sell, and 
if you are looking for good value rather than latest style you 
will do well to call on them. 

Incubators and brooders. I have already stated what I 
think of them. I don't see how a man can conduct an up-to- 
date poultry farm without using both. 

Bone cutter. Where a man can get plenty of bones and 
has plenty of time and muscle at his command, a bone cutter 
is a splendid investment. 

Other things needed : a root cutter, wheelbarrow, grind- 
stone (a good size is three inches thick and two and a half 
feet in diameter), small crowbar, pickaxe, shovels, hoes, 
scythe, lawn mower, pitch forks, drawshave, steel square, saw, 
about No. 9, pruning saw, planes (fore plane and short jointer), 
level (24 inch), set bits (Wright-Jennings, ^, J^, 34), bit 
brace (ratchet), hammer, axes, chisels (^ and 1), mallet 
(wooden), lantern, etc. 

ECONOMY IN FEEDS. 

One of the great problems that confronts the poultry 
keeper is to keep down his feed bills. There are times in the 
year in the poultry business when comparatively little is com- 
ing in ; at such times it takes the heart out of a man to pay 
out a dollar and a half or two dollars a day for feed, when 
perhaps there is not more than fifty cents coming back. 



65 

The two elements that are needed in feeds are protein and 
carbohydrates, or things that build up and things that warm 
up. The great source of protein is beef scraps or blood meal 
or feed of this sort ; and beef scraps and blood meal are both 
expensive. 

Green ground bone is an inexpensive source of protein, 
after the first cost of the bone cutter is taken out. I do not 
see how a poultryman can carry on operations without a hand 
cutter, or a power cutter if he keeps a large number of fowls. 

Where shall a man find the bones after he buys his ma- 
chine? This is quite a problem with many. Strange to say 
it is easier to find bones in large quantities than it is in small. 
If a man will use all the output of the shop he can generally 
make a contract with his butcher to get all the bones he has 
to spare at from one-third to one-half a cent a pound. Hotels 
and boarding houses will be glad to set aside their bones and 
waste meat for him if he will guarantee to call once or twice 
a week. 

If a man is going into business on this scale it will pay 
him to install an engine and cut up his bones by power. A 
three-horse-power gasoline engine may be purchased new, but 
a second-hand one can be bought for much less and will do 
equally as good work. The other day I had an engine offered 
me at a big discount which had been used by the manufac- 
turers simply for exhibition purposes. 

There is good money, if a man has an engine and a power 
bone cutter, in cutting bones to be retailed to other poultry 
keepers. Ground bone will sell in ten pound packages for 
twenty-five cents, or two cents and a half a pound. A man 
who was once in the business told me he could clear $5 a day 
two days each week selling bones to people in his neighbor- 
hood ; and $5 a day in winter looks pretty good. 

There is a trick in cutting bone, whether by hand or by 
power, which it is well to know. Bone will cut much easier 
if it has been frozen, and meat that is frozen will cut up clean 
and not clog the machine. 

The cheapest feed that I know anything about that will 
make hens lay is boiled potatoes and green ground bone, in the 
proportion of four parts potatoes to one part ground bone. In 
this combination I am assuming that the poultry keeper makes 
his own ground bone and also uses a grade of potatoes not 
worth over 10 or 15 cents a bushel. 

Indian corn is a valuable feed for hens, if not used exclu- 



66 

sively. The town in which I Hve is a great corn town. The 
soil is a sandy loam, easily worked. The beaches after a 
northeast storm afford a large supply of seaweed. Corn can 
be produced for 33 cents a bushel. The way I feed it is on the 
cob. There is no danger of giving the hens too much if other 
things (such as clover, green ground bone and waste potatoes) 
are fed. It ought not to cost over 7}i cents a year to feed a hen 
if a man is so situated that he can raise some of the feed and 
also take advantage of the markets to get bargains when they 
are oft'ered. Where everything" is bought (at the present high 
price for grain) it costs twice that. 

Where it is necessary to buy feed one can get a good dis- 
count by paying spot cash and purchasing in ton lots. 

ECONOMY IN BUILDING. 

There was never a time, I am told, when it cost so much 
to build as to-day. Lumber and labor are higher than -ever 
before. Unless the poultryman has an unlimited supply of 
money it will be necessary for him to practice the utmost 
economy in building, or he wnll exceed his estimates. 

On many farms, especially in the East, there is a stand of 
pine or spruce sufificient to furnish all the boards a man needs 
for his plant. The tops and branches will pay for the cutting, 
and the owner will get his material for the value of the stump- 
age. Where there is no timber lot on the farm, it is often 
possible to pick up small lots of boards from the farmers far 
below the listed price. 

Clapboards are especially high, and unless one has access 
to a clapboard machine and can saw out his own clapboards, 
it will be better to cover the sides and ends of his houses with 
some good roofing material. There are a dozen kinds on the 
market, Init I have found nothing better than Neponset and 
Paroid. 

Poultry houses are simple in construction, and if a man has 
any mechanical ability he can build his own. Where it is nec- 
essary to hire, one can often find a carpenter who is not a fine 
workman, but who is speedy and who will do twice as much 
in a day as a man who has the reputation for being more par- 
ticular. Give him a boy for a helper, and it is surprising how 
fast a house will grow under their hands. 

MARKETING THE PRODUCT. 

On nearly every article sold in the stores, at least three 
profits are made — the producer's, the jobber's and the retailer's. 



67 

The problem of the producer is to eUminate the jobber and if 
possible the retailer. It is self-evident that if a man can make 
three profits instead of one, his business will be far more 
lucrative. 

The poultryman is a producer. But between him and the 
consumer there are several others to be considered. The 
poultryman sells to the country grocer, the country grocer to 
the commission merchant, the commission merchant to the 
city grocer, and the city grocer to the consumer. Here are 
four profits to be made. It should be the aim of the poultry- 
man to secure as many of these profits for himself as possible. 

The simplest way is to eliminate the country grocer and 
ship directly to the commission man. It is comparatively easy 
to get the address of several reliable commission men and to 
keep in touch with them. Every commission man that does 
any amount of business publishes a market report, and he 
will gladly put your name on his mailing list. The commission 
merchant is as anxious to get good stufif as you are to sell, and 
will go out of his way to capture your business. 

The next step in advance is to eliminate the commission 
merchant and to do business with the city grocer direct. In 
order to do this, it is necessary to produce a gilt-edge product 
and to produce enough of it to make it an object for the city 
grocer to buy. Tihis trade is secured by correspondence and 
personal interview. 

The final step is to eliminate the city grocer and deal 
directly with the consumer. Not every man is qualified to do 
this. But far more can do it than imagine they can. To de- 
vote one day a w^eek to calling on city customers is a pleasant 
break in the monotony of farm life, and yields big dividends in 
the shape of maximum returns for one's products. 

THE JEWISH TRADE. 

The Jewish trade has become an exceedingly important 
trade to cater to. Whatever may be thought of the Jews from 
the standpoint of business and religion, the fact remains that 
they have become a powerful and influential factor in our 
cosmopolitan population. New York City is the largest Jew- 
ish community in the world. The Jews are good livers, and 
want the best. In the Jewish religious year there are a num- 
ber of festivals, and at these festivals fowls are in great de- 
mand and bring good prices. The Jews eat no pork and use 
no lard in cooking, and so consume more fowls than they 



68 

otherwise would. Fowls for the Jewish trade should be large 
and fat, and should be shipped alive; for they must be killed 
by a rabbi in order to be pronounced "kosher" or clean. Any 
commission merchant is glaxl to get large, fat fowls before tlie 
Jewish holidays, but the best prices can generally be obtained 
from merchants of the Jewish faith. 

The festivals of the Jews do not fall on the same dates each 
year, as their months are "lunar" and not "solar" ; but any 
commission merchant with whom you get in touch will keep 
you informed when they come, and when is the best time to 
ship. The following from the pen of Michael K. Boyer will 
give an approximate idea when the festivals fall ; but needs 
to be constantly revised, as the dates vary more or less with 
each year : 

"The Hebrew New Year begins September 30, and is cele- 
brated from that date on until the close of October 1st. This 
festival makes a heavy demand for choice fowls, turkeys, 
ducks and geese. To meet the opening of the celebration, 
shipments had best be made from the 25th to the 27th of the 
month, 

"Next comes the Day of Atonement (October 9), when 
there are calls for spring chickens and young roosters, although 
prime stock of all kinds are saleable. Poultry for this market 
had best be shipped a week beforehand. 

"The Feast of Tabernacles occurs October 14 to 15, and 
there is a market for fowls, ducks and fat geese. The best 
days for shipment are October 10 to 12, inclusive. 

"The Feast of Law is observed October 20 to 21, when 
prime quality of all kinds of poultry is wanted. Market from 
16th to 18th. This feast ends the Fall Holidays. 

"March 11 the spring services begin and fowls and prime 
hen turkeys are most saleable, to be marketed 6th and 8th. 

"The Passover commences early in April, and prime quality 
of all kinds of poultry are bought about the 3rd to 6th — the 
feasts being on the 10th and 11th. 

"The Last Passover dates April 16 to 17, for which event 
prime stock of all kinds should be marketed on the 12th and 
13th. 

"The Feast of Weeks takes place May 30 and 31, and for 
this feast fowls are wanted, which are bought mainly on the 
28th." 



69 

FEATHERS. 

Something may be added to the poultryman's income by the 
sale of feathers, and what is usually mere waste converted into 
a source of income. Prices vary from year to year, but the 
following- quotations from a large dealer will give the reader 
an idea what to expect : 

Geese. — China, pure white, 60 cents ; white, 55 cents ; 
largely gray, 42 cents ; goose quills, long, 15 cents. 

Duck. — Pure white, 42 cents; white, yellow or stained, 38 
and 40 cents ; colored, 33 cents. 

Chicken. — all white, 20 cents; colored, 4^ cents. 

All feathers should be dried by being spread out upon a 
floor for some time, or placed in sacks and hung out in the sun 
and air. When shipped to market they are usually packed in 
burlap sacks or light cases and sent by freight. 



CHAPTER X. 



Laying Down Eggs. 



There is no article in daily use that I know anything about 
the price of which varies with such astronomical regularity as 
does that of eggs. Their movement up and down is as periodic 
as the rise and fall of the tides or the oscillations of the pen- 
dulum. Generally the period of lowest prices begins in March 
and continues well into May. This is the natural breeding 
season of fowls, and eggs are produced in greatest abundance. 
By the first of June eggs begin to take an upward turn, and 
advance slowly until September. In September many of the 
older fowls begin to moult, and cease production altogether. 
From this point the rise is rapid, reaching the maximum at 
Thanksgiving, then the price drops a little, but soon recovers 
itself and continues high until well into January, when it 
begins to break, dropping rapidly in February and March as 
the spring flood of eggs comes into the market. 

Now it follows from what has been said that it would be 
of great advantage to both producer and consumer if some 
•simple, practical methods of preserving eggs were generally 
l-^nown and adopted. It would be of advantage to the pro- 
ducer because it would serve as a balance wheel and prevent 
■eggs from dropping so low that it is unprofitable to produce 
them. Statistics show that the average hen does not produce 
■over 120 eggs a year; and nearly half of these are laid in 
March. April and May. If the owner of the hen could obtain 
say a cent apiece more for these eggs it would mean a great 
•addition to his annual profits. 

If ever}' poultr}- keeper in the United States would lay 
down his family supply of eggs for the year in .March it would 
take at least 250,000.000 dozens of eggs out of the market at a 
time when eggs arc lowest, and the price of eggs would never 
drop below 25 cents a dozen. For by April millions of dozens 
more are required for incubation, and this absorbs the surplus 
to a considerable extent. 

And it would be a great advantage to the consumer if he 
or she would lay down the year's supply in the spring. There 
is no article of diet more nutritious and healthful than eggs. 



71 

They are in themselves a perfect food, and are easily prepared. 
In England eggs appear on the breakfast table of the better 
classes every day in the year, and it would be better for the 
people of this country if they ate more eggs and less meat. 
And yet at certain seasons of the year the price of fresh eggs 
is practically prohibitive. Who can afford to have fresh eggs 
for breakfast when they are 45 or 50 cents a dozen? Only the 
wealthiest and most extravagant. How much it would mean 
to the health and economics of every family if they knew how 
to lay down the family supply of eggs in the spring, when eggs 
are at their best and lowest in price ! 

COLD STORAGE. 

Gold storage is the process of preserving eggs, meats, 
fruits, etc., by keeping them in a temperature so low that 
decay is impossible. Decay is produced by bacteria, micro- 
scopic vegetable organisms, which multiply with marvelous 
rapidity, or by stimulation of the germ of life already within 
the egg. Chemical changes follow, and the result is fermen- 
tation and decomposition. Like all living things, these bac- 
teria require warmth for development. When the temperature 
is kept near the freezing point their ravages are held in check, 
and the substance to be preserved does not change in compo- 
sition. 

Storage plants are now erected in all our large cities and are 
under government supervision. In the largest of them United 
States inspectors are constantly on duty to see that they are 
maintained under sanitary conditions. The articles to be re- 
frigerated are stored in large chambers or compartments, where 
the temperature is reduced by the constant circulation of 
ammonia through pipes or by means of ice. 

Thousands of cases of eggs (each case containing 30 
■dozens') are placed in these storage plants every season, to be 
liberated as they are needed. These eggs are largely Western 
€ggs, few Eastern eggs being available for the purpose, and 
come from farms and ranches. They are bought when eggs 
are lowest, and average two weeks old when put in storage. 
The egg chamber is supposed to be kept at a temperature of 
32 degrees, cold enough to freeze cracked eggs, but not cold 
enough to freeze whole ones. They are taken out in prac-. 
tically the same condition they are put in. Indeed, eggs have 
1)ccn kept in cold storage for three years, and when taken out 



72 

could not be distinguished from eggs that had been there only 
a short time. Before being placed on the market each egg is 
"candled," or exposed to the rays of an electric light, which 
reveals its condition. If the egg is clear it is passed ; if cloudy, 
it is thrown out and sold to moroccb dressers to be used in 
tanning their leather. Cracked eggs are 'placed in a class 
by themselves and sold to bakers. 

Cold storage plants might be used by poultrymen who live 
in the neighborhood of cities to store their surplus product. 
The price charged for storage is low. At the large plant at 
which I obtained material for this chapter the rate of storage 
is only 10 cents a case a month. As each case contains 30 
dozens, it would cost only two cents a dozen to hold eggs six 
months, when they could be sold at a large increase. Storage 
eggs generally sell for about two-thirds the price of the fresh 
article. But these eggs, as I have said, will average two 
weeks old when put into storage, and many of them are very 
inferior specimens. There is no reason why selected eggs 
from the farm, laid down when perfectly fresh, should not sell 
at retail around the price of new-laid eggs, for they equal new- 
laid eggs in many particulars. I was surprised in going 
through a large local plant to learn that poultrymen did not 
avail themselves of the opportunity that lay at their very doors. 
If it pays the cold storage people to buy eggs in the West, 
with the inevitable breakage in transportation, carry them six 
months and then sell them for two-thirds the price of fresh 
eggs, it would certainly pay the poultryman to put his own 
eggs in storage ; for there would be no breakage, no express, 
no shrinkage in "candling," and the eggs would be sure to be 
fresh when laid down, and not two weeks or more old. 

Where there is no cold storage plants at hand the poultry- 
man can construct one at a moderate cost. In this case he 
would cool his plant not with chemicals, but with ice. A small 
building may be constructed for the purpose, or a room can 
sometimes be fitted up in the shed or stable. 

To those who are interested in the subject and wish to 
pursue it further, I would say that probably the best authority 
on cold storage is "Practical Cold Storage," by Madison 
Cooper, published by Nickerson & Collins, Chicago, 111. The 
price, I believe, is $6. I know of no cheap reliable book on the 
subject. 

LIME AND SALT SOLUTION. 

Decay being caused by bacteria or germs, it follows that if 
these can be combatted or excluded decay will be arrested. 



73 

This may be done in tive ways ; 1. By keeping the eggs at 
such a temperature that the germs remain dormant, or cold 
storage. 2. By immersing the eggs in a solution which will 
cover the shell and prevent the entrance of air, the great germ 
carrier. 3. By coating the shell with some substance that will 
make it impervious. 4. By destroying the germs by means of 
the X ray. 5. By a combination of one or more of these 
processes. 

In the past many have attempted to preserve eggs by pack- 
ing them in salt, wood ashes, plaster, or even iij oats ; and 
when the period was short have met with comparatively good 
success. Experiments, however, have shown that these sub- 
stances are not to be depended on when it is desirable to keep 
eggs in good condition for some months, and more ettectual 
preservatives must be discovered. 

Probably where eggs are to be laid down for family use 
one of the best methods is to use the lime and salt solution. 
It is inexpensive, easily prepared, and will surely do the work. 
Eggs laid down by this method are liable to have a slightly 
limey taste, which interferes with their being placed on the 
market. But for home use they are excellent. 

The formula appears in several forms, but the best is the 
one which follows, which, so far as I know, has never before 
been made public: 

Mix three pounds of quick lime in three gallons of water 
that has been boiled and cooled. Slake the lime in part of the 
water before adding all. Stir well; then add one-half pound 
of common salt. After stirring a few times let stand for 
several hours to settle. Separate the clear liquid for use, and 
in this dissolve one-fourth ounce of boracic acid. 

Eess lime will suffice, if of good grade, but the formula calls 
for enough to insure a saturated solution. Solutions contain- 
ing more salt sometimes serve well, but with an excess of salt 
the egg yolk is often found thickened. Saturated solutions of 
lime alone have been used successfully. 

Eggs are kept immersed in this liquid, which should cover 
them continuously to the depth of two inches or more. Glazed 
earthenware, glass, or clean wooden receptacles are used, and 
should be stored in a cool place, as on a cellar floor, until the 
eggs are wanted. Eggs just taken from the liquid should not 
be subjected to a sudden rise in temperature. 



74 

The amount of solution made by this formula will be 
found sufficient to preserve 12 dozens of eggs; if more eggs are 
to be preserved the proportions should be increased. 

For successful preservation by any method eggs must be 
absolutely fresh with clean and perfect shells. 

Note.- — In any of the solutions given in this book allow one 
quart of the solution to each dozen eggs. The reader can thus 
determine at once wdiat quantity to prepare. 

THE LEVI HOYT METHOD. 

Before cold storage came into prominence eggs were pre- 
served by other methods. At certain seasons stores were full 
of "limed eggs," as they were called. There were a number of 
secret ways of preserving eggs, each one of which was jeal- 
ously guarded. Men made good livings by buying up eggs 
in the spring, laying them down, and then selling them in the 
fall. As there was no cold storage to absorb the surplus the 
range in prices in course of a year was very great. 

There was a man living in Danville, N. H., by the name of 
Levi Hoyt, whose business was that of an egg merchant. He 
perambulated the country, buying eggs of farmers and ship- 
ping them to Boston for sale. So successfu'l was he in his 
business that he left an estate of some $20,000. Mr. Hoyt had 
a secret method of laying down eggs, which many tried to 
discover when he was alive, but with no success. When he 
died it was supposed the secret had died with him. But his 
executor, in looking over his papers, found in the strong box 
where he kept his most valued documents — his will, deeds, 
notes due, etc. — the secret method which had been so eagerly 
sought, and which had brought the fortunate owner many 
thousands of dollars. The recipe was found written on paper, 
which had become yellow and discolored by age, and the 
ingredients were designated by letters and not put into words. 
Further search disclosed the key, which made all plain. The 
executor, a personal friend of mine, knowing that I contem- 
plated writing a book on egg preservation, allowed me to make 
a copy of the recipe and key, and for the first time they are now 
given to the world. 

THE $20,000 RECIPE. 

Slack A. Add water till it forms a thin slush. Now strain 
it through a fine sieve into a forty gallon barrel or vessel, wash- 
ing out all the strength of A. 



75 

Dissolve B, and add to former. Dissolve C, D, E and F 
in boiling water; add to former mixture. Now add water and 
stir well, until the whole amounts to twenty gallons. 

Fill the vessel with eggs to within four or five inches of the 
top, being sure that the liquid is three or four inches deep over 
the eggs. 

Now take a hoop, small enough to go inside the barrel ; tack 
a coarse cloth to the bottom of the hoop ; set the hoop down 
into the barrel ; cover the hoop to the depth of two inches with 
the moist lime so as to exclude all outside air. 

Shortly before the eggs are needed take them out of the 
barrel, wash them thoroughly with clean water, let them dry 
from 24 to 48 hours, pack them in G, points down, and keep in 
a cool, dry room or cellar. 

The eggs must be sound and fresh, as no process will make 
a bad egg good. 

The casks should be tight and clean, and if pork barrels 
are used they should first be scalded out. 

KEY TO THE ABOVE. 

A is unslacked lime. 

B is salt. 

C is bi-carbonate of soda. 

D is cream tartar. 

E is borax. 

F is saltpetre or nitrate of potash. 

G is dry oats. 

Quantities. — Lime, 12 pounds ; salt, 3 quarts ; bi-carbonate 
of soda, 2 ounces ; cream tartar, 2 ounces ; borax, 2 ounces ; 
saltpetre, 1 ounce ; oats, quantity sufficient. 

WATER GLASS. 

As we have seen, decay originates from one of two sources: 
L The stimulation of the germ of life within the egg. 2. The 
introduction of bacteria from without. Either of these 
sottrces will produce chemical changes that will destroy the 
freshness of the egg. Exposing the egg for a few days to a 
high temperature will start incubation if the germ of life is 
present ; and exposing the egg to the outside air for a longer 
period will cause decay by the introduction of germs from 
without, even if there is no germ of life within. 

Cold storage is the perfect method of preservation, for the 
low temperature stops the development of germs both within 



76 

and without. As in the world without us all vegetable growth 
is checked by the cold of winter, so artificial cold checks the 
growth of bacteria, which are minute vegetable organisms, and 
decay is prevented. But. as we have seen, cold storage is not 
practicable in all cases, and so other methods must be substi- 
tuted. 

Following out the principle we have discovered — that all 
decay comes from the stimulation of the perm within the egg 
or the introduction of germs from without — we can easily see 
that if we can keep the egg frorn the air, the great carrier of 
germs, and also keep it at a low temperature, we shall greatly 
retard if not altogether prevent those chemical changes that we 
call decomposition. 

In what goes before I have given the formulas for two 
salt and lime solutions that have proved very eiTective. In 
this section I shall outline a method that is rapidly advancing 
in favor and is probably destined in time to supersede the 
others. I refer to the use of sodium silicate, or water glass, 
as it is commonly called. Water glass is cleanly, convenient 
and sure; and where it can be obtained at a reasonable price 
should be given the preference. 

Where It Can Be Obtained. — The merits of water glass as 
an egg preservative are becoming known, and there are many 
inquiries for it at the local druggists. But the price charged 
is often prohibitive. I have known a woman to pay 30 cents 
a pint for the article. One gallon of water glass in the 10 per 
cent solution (one part water glass to nine parts water), will 
preserve 40 dozen eggs ; and at 30 cents a pint it would cost 
six cents a dozen to lay down eggs — a price that is altogether 
excessive. Unless it can be procured at a much less cost than 
this its use is out of the question. 

Where water glass is bought in gallon lots (and no one 
should buy less than this) it can be obtained of wholesale drug- 
gists for 50 cents a gallon. The Eastern Drug Company, 8-20 
Fulton Street, Boston, Mass., quotes me the following prices: 
In one gallon lots, 50 cents a gallon, with 20 cents extra for 
can, which is returnable. In five-gallon lots, 35 cents a gallon, 
and 75 cents for can ; can returnable. In barrels of 600 pounds, 
1^ cents a pound, or 16^^ cents a gallon. John Shaw & Co., 
40 India Wharf, Boston, manufacturing chemists, put up water 
glass in gallon cans, especially for egg preservation, for 50 
cents a gallon ; no charge for can. I have no doubt that in 
every large city glass may be procured of wholesale druggists 
at a reasonable figure. 



77 

The best way to buy the article to advantage would be for 
a little group of neighbors to club together and purchase five 
gallons at a time, or even a barrel. In dividing it, remember 
that it is sold by weight rather than by measure — 11 pounds 
constituting a gallon. 

How to Use It. — The formula most generally used calls for 
a ten per cent, solution — that is, one part water glass to nine 
parts water. In order to secure a perfect fusion the water 
should be at the boiling point when added to the water glass, 
and the solution should be stirred for several minutes with a 
stick. Meanwhile the eggs should be got in readiness. For 
containers use clean wooden barrels, or firkins, stone crocks, 
galvanized iron tubs, or in fact, almost any receptacle that is 
convenient. Put in the eggs, and after it becomes cold pour 
on the solution. The eggs should be well covered with the 
liquid, and the container should be set away in a cool, dark 
place — the cellar, if possible. 

While a ten per cent, solution is generally recommended, 
yet it is probable that a much weaker solution will answer 
every purpose. Experiments conducted at the Rhode Island 
station showed that a five per cent, solution — one part water 
glass to 19 parts water — will keep eggs perfectly. Owing to 
evaporation the solution is continually growing stronger, and 
its preservative qualities enhanced. 

Chemical changes will take place in the solution after a 
little period. It will begin to coagulate and whiten, until after 
awhile it resembles whitewash in appearance. Then a jelly- 
like precipitate will form, and the eggs near the top will be- 
come coated. The reader need not be alarmed at these chemical 
changes, for they do not interfere with the preservative qual- 
ities of the solution. The weaker the solution the less pro- 
nounced the chemical changes, and the smaller the amount of 
precipitate. A ten per cent, solution will keep eggs perfectly, 
and is to be recommended for the beginner. After a few ex- 
periments he acquires confidence, and will not hesitate to use 
a weaker solution. The writer used a 6 2-3 per cent, solution 
— one part water glass and 14 parts water. 

MARKETING PRESERVED EGGS. 

A\'here eggs are laid down to be sold again much greater 
care must be exercised than where they are laid down for 
family use. In the first place, the number of eggs is far larger, 
.and in case of a loss it will be more severe than where onlv the 



family supply is involved. And in the second place, the eggs 
must have a fresh, bright appearance. Where eggs are to be 
eaten at home the appearance of the shells is of minor import- 
ance so long as the eggs are fresh, but where they are to be 
put on the market one cannot be too particular. 

In laying down eggs for market be sure to select those with 
the whitest shells. The water glass seems to enter into chem- 
ical combination with brown-shelled eggs, turning them a 
pinkish hue. But it has no appreciable efifect upon light- 
shelled eggs. Indeed, it is practically impossible to tell those 
which have been in the solution from those which have not,^ 
when they are ready for market. 

W'hen the time comes to sell the eggs you will begin with 
those that were laid down first. As I have explained, the water 
glass will probably have coagulated, and the eggs will be cov- 
ered with a jelly-like precipitate. Remove as much of this as 
possible when you take out the eggs, splashing each egg 
arovmd in the water. Put the eggs in a tub similar to the one 
they were taken from. After the tub is filled pour on soft, 
cold water, and let stand 24 hours. Then take the eggs out 
of this and put in a basket, washing each egg before it is taken 
out and rubbing oil all traces of the water glass with the 
fingers. After the eggs are dry they should be gone over 
again. They will have a rough appearance, and look as if 
they had been in an old flour barrel, or been sprinkled with 
chalk. A brisk rubbing with a woolen cloth or old towel will 
greatly improve their appearance, and make white-shelled eggs 
look as good as new. If you care to go to the trouble, a final 
touch with a cloth wet in strong vinegar, and then wrung 
nearly dry, will make them look very nice. Water glass is an 
alkali and is neutralized by the acid in the vinegar. 

And now about marketing these eggs. They are not 
strictly fresh eggs, and must not be sold as such ; and, on the 
other hand, they are much better than the average cold-storage 
eggs. A good way to sell them is to show them to your cus- 
tomers, tell them they are laid down by a special process, and 
that you will sell them for five cents a dozen less than strictly 
fresh eggs, guaranteeing to replace every one that is not satis- 
factory with a fresh egg. You will have no trotible in dispos- 
ing of your stock for double what you cotild have got for them 
in the spring. 



CHAPTER XI. 



Becoming a Fancier. 



It will doubtless be a surprise to many who read this 
chapter to learn that for the average poultryman there is more 
money in utility than in fancy fowls. A little reflection will 
show why this is so. The fancy business requires the personal 
touch. A man who is keeping fowls for meat and eggs can 
delegate much of the work to others, and can increase his plant 
indefinitely. But the fancier must know his birds as indi- 
viduals, or else employ a high-priced superintendent who does. 
He must know how to mate and handle for best results, and 
even then not one bird in ten will be likely to be a prize win- 
ner. He must pay out more for foundation stock, and if he 
wishes to introduce new blood must often spend hundreds of 
dollars for what he wants. He must take his birds to the 
shows ; and the car fare, express charges, entry fees, loss of his 
own time, etc., will make a big hole in his profits. Then he 
must advertise, and advertise generously, and advertising runs 
away with a lot of money. So it will be seen that the breeder 
of fine birds must get good prices for what he has to sell if his 
books are to show a balance on the right side. 

THE APPEAL OF THE FANCY. 

Still there are many to whom fancy poultry keeping makes 
a strong appeal. The Creator of the universe has implanted in 
man a love for the beautiful, and there are few objects in 
nature more beautiful than a fine specimen of one of the stand- 
ard varieties at its best. There is an excitement in the attempt 
to produce a bird that will score high in the 90's, like the 
excitement of the chase. In the show room there is a battle 
royal that appeals to a man's fighting blood. The breeder is 
matched against other breeders of his favorite variet}', and 
victory over them is sweet. The silver oup and the blue rib- 
bon that he takes home to show his friends have a value that 
money cannot represent. But there is good money, too. in 
fancy poultry. If a man can produce a specimen of any one 
of the popular varieties that will win the blue at one of the 



80 

big shows, he can name his own price. Five hundred, one 
thousand and even fifteen hundred dollars have been paid 
for a winning male. Then it does not take much land or many- 
buildings for a man to carry on quite a business in fancy poul- 
try, and world-beaters may be raised in a back yard. All 
these things conspire to recruit the ranks of the fanciers with 
a stream of new men who are after fame and fortune in the 
poultr}^ business. 

BECOMING A FANCIER— THE START. - 

Unless a man buys his birds and shows as his own what 
other men have produced, the one who aspires to be a fancier 
must make up his mind to a long, slow, up-hill climb. But at 
the summit of the hill there weaves a blue banner with the 
word "First" upon it in golden letters, and there approaches 
to meet him one of Uncle Sam's servants in the grey uniform 
of a letter carrier with a big bundle of letters, each containing 
a check for sittings of eggs and shipments of birds. 

The first thing a man should do who aspires to be a 
fancier is to purchase a copy of the American Standard of Per- 
fection, and the second thing is to decide upon the variety he 
will keep. The Standard of Perfection is the olBcial publica- 
tion of the American Poultry Association, and contains a 
complete description of all recognized varieties of fowls. It 
supplies the breeder with the ideal that he is to try to make 
real in his yards. As a man turns over the pages of the Stand- 
ard and sees the beautiful birds pictured there, he is quite apt 
to become bewildered and to wonder how he can ever make a 
choice. But here is where the fancier has an advantage : the 
field is much wider for him than for the man who keeps utility 
fowls. In the utility field there are not more than six or eight 
varieties that are money makers, while in the realm of show- 
doni a man can make money dn any one of half a hundred 
kinds. If a man breeds good birds and advertises them faith- 
fully, he can find customers no matter what variety he selects. 
Then in a non-popular variety there is not so much competi- 
tion in (he show room, and a blue ribbon comes one's way 
much sooner than is the case where competition is fierce. 
Still I Avould advise a man to select a variety that is reason- 
ably popular, or he will be disappointed in sales. If he is 
shrewd or lucky enough to hit upon a breed that is about to 
have a boom and gets into it before the crowd, his fortune is 
made. Let me illustrate. The Uiqhl Brahmas are grand 



81 . 

birds — there is something- majestic and stately about them. 
They are handsome. They have many friends. Still, I would 
not advise a man to go into Light Brahmas. They have had 
their day. But the Columbian Wyandotte, which is a new 
variety, with Light Brahma markings but Wyandotte size and 
shape, would seem destined to have a great run ; for they 
appeal to those who admire the Light Brahma markings and 
to those who admire the many good qualities of the Wyan- 
dottes. If I were starting out I should not hesitate to try 
them. 

TH'R FOUNDATION STOCK. 

Perhaps as good a way as any to get a start is to purchase 
a pen of birds of the variety one has decided upon of some 
reputable breeder in the fall. Ask him to mate them up for 
you for the best results. You can generally buy old birds for 
considerably less than you can young ones, and where you 
are not after eggs for market, but for incubation, old birds 
are as good or better than young ones. You will devote the 
winter to getting acquainted with your birds. (I assume that 
you have kept fowls before and understand their care and 
'management. If you do not, it will hardly pay you to start 
out with high priced specimens at first.) In the spring you 
will get out all the chicks you can take care of, and in the 
fall should have several pens of likely pullets. Mate your 
cock bird with the best of these, and send off to the man of 
whom you bought your foundation stock for more males. 

SHOW YOUR BIRDS. 

One who aspires to become a full-fledged fancier must 
show his birds. There is nothing that will help out sales like 
a good show record. There is no place in which a man can 
learn so much in a short time as in the show room. It is a 
liberal education to see the judges work; and the score card 
that one finds attached to his coop is of inestimable value: it 
reveals to a breeder as by a flash of light where his birds are 
strong and where they need to be built up. 

PREPARING BIRDS FOR SHOW. 

The Standard of Perfection should have a chapter on the 
preparation of birds for the show room : it would be worth 
the price of the book to a beginner. I do not claim to be an 



82 



expert, but perhaps I can give a few hints that may be of 
assistance. 

After the owner selects the birds that seem to him the 
best, he should examine them carefully to see that there are 
no disqualifications^ — nothing that will throw the bird out of 
the con^petition. The bird should be healthy, vigorous, free 
from A-ermin. and as near the standard weight as possible. 
Of course the prospective exhibitor has handled his birds more 
or less and treat-ed them so well that they are reasonably free 
from shyness. There is nothing that looks worse than to see 
a bird in the exhibition coop dashing its head against the slats 
in its vain efforts to escape, or crouching in the corner as if 
half frightened to death. White birds should be washed, and 
I am inclined to think that a good washing will not harm birds 
of other colors. The process is very simple. Three tubs half 
full of water should be set side by side, of a temperature of 
about 95 degrees. The birds should be stood in tub number 
one and well soaped with Ivory or some good white s.oap, 
taking care to rul) the soap the way the web of the feathers 
runs. After the bird has been well soaped, remove it to tub 
number two, and rinse the lather out of the plumage. The 
bird should then be removed to the third tub and given a final 
rinse. If the bird is a wdiite one, a little bluing should be 
added to the last water. Take the bird from the water and 
stand it on a table or box, and wipe it as dry as possible with 
tow^els. If you have a furnace in your house, and 3^our wife 
will let you do so. ])lace the sawhorse over the register and 
let the bird stand on the round of the sawhorse for a little 
while, lie will be so tamed by this time that he will not try 
to get away. If you have no convenient register, place the 
bird in a large slatted box. well littered with straw, and let 
him remain in the box in a warm room until thoroughly dry. 
Before shipping the l)ird to the show, feed him well ; give 
him a little whiskey and water or a one-grain quinine pill, and 
rub his comb and wattles with a piece of flannel which has 
been saturated with alcohol. Dig out the dirt from under the 
scales on the legs with a toothpick, and rub the legs briskly 
W'ith a i)iece of chamois skin. 

ADVERTISING. 

For everything a man has to sell there is another man 
somewhere who stands readv to buy, and there is a man some- 



83 

where waiting" to buy stock and eggs of you. How may you 
find him? I can tell you in one word — Advertise. 

1 used t(^ think that something could be done through the 
local ]japer to sell stock and eggs, but an experiment has 
rather shaken my confidence. The fact is, not one reader in 
a hundred of the local paper is willing to pay a living price ."or 
stock and eggs — he doesn't know their worth. If you can. 
afford to sell eggs for hatching for from 50 cents to a dollar 
a sitting, and cockerels for one or two dollars each, you can 
sell some by advertising in the local press ; but if you want a 
living price you must look elsewhere. The poultry press is 
the place for a poultryman to advertise. Time and time again 
have I had men come to me to borrow a poultry paper to find 
out where they could get stock or eggs of a certain variety. 

Fortunately there are a number of grand poultry papers 
in this country and Canada, and any one who has anything to 
sell can easily find a good medium. How shall a man decide 
what papers to advertise in? There are two rules: 1. Ad- 
vertise in papers that carry the most advertising. 2. Adver- 
tise in papers that themselves advertise. 

Advertise in papers that carry the most advertising! "But 
is not my little ad. in danger of being lost in the mass?" you 
ask. Xot at all. The paper that carries the most advertising 
does so because it is the best medium. Men advertise in it 
because they have found it pays. Somebody is going to see 
and read your advertisement, and send to you for birds. 

Advertise in papers that themselves advertise! Why? 
Because those papers have for their readers those who answer 
advertisements. The reader with the mail-order habit is the 
one you want to go after. 

"How large an appropriation shall I set aside for adver- 
tising?" For a beginner, a good ride is one dollar a year for 
each bird in your breeding pens. If you have 50 birds your 
appropriation should be $50. For $50 worth of advertising 
you ought to be able to sell $400 worth of eggs and stock. 

As you increase your breeding stock you can decrease the 
amount you allow for each bird, for a large advertisement 
pulls proportionately better than a small one. 

Some papers have what is called a flat rate— so much an 
inch, whether for one insertion or twelve. Others have a 
sliding scale — the rate being less proportionately for a year 
than for three or six months. Where you advertise with a 
paper that has a sliding scale you can arrange so as to use the 



84 

greater part of the space from October to May, and cut down 
in the summer months. 

Poultry papers generally offer special inducements to be- 
ginners and small breeders by running short, classified ads. at 
a low rate. These are called "Breeders' Cards," and I know 
of no way in which a man can make his advertising appro- 
priation go so far as by patronizing this department of the 
paper. 

\\'riting a good advertisement is quite a trick, but like all 
great things it is simple. The best advertisement tells a story 
and gives a reason. It is not funny, it is not verbose, it is not 
sensational, it is not extravagant. It is a plain, striking state- 
ment of facts. Write out your story, then strike out every 
unnecessary clause and word, and let the printer display it to 
suit his taste. Study the advertisements of successful men in 
other lines, especially in the magazines, and you will learn 
much from them. 

Besides your advertisement in the paper, you will need 
a neat and attractive circular. The circular will describe your 
stock more fully than the advertisement. The circular will 
save you a vast amount of letter writing, for it will answer 
nine-tenths of the questions asked by prospective customers. 

Attend to your correspondence promptly, if possible an- 
swering a letter the very day it is received. The man who 
writes you may have written some other fellow at the same 
time, and if you want his trade you must be prompt. 

Enclose a circular in each letter, but do not rely upon 
the circular to make a sale. Write a few cordial, friendly 
words, even if every question the man asks is answered in your 
circular. Personality is the greatest power in the world, and 
you can put a good deal of personality in a short letter. 

SHIPPING EGGS AND STOCK. 

Eggs for hatching are generally shipped in a basket or 1)Ox 
made for the purpose. In cold weather they should be moved 
only in the middle of the da}-, and great care should be exer- 
cised to prevent freezing. 

Where eggs are shipped b_v the hundred, perhaps as good 
a way as any is to pack each separate egg in excelsior. Take 
a small piece of excelsior from the roll and pull the fibres 
apart, then with your thumb or with a round stick like the 
end of a l)room handle, make an indentation in the mass. Put 



85 *, 

the egg in the hole and close in the excelsior about it. The 
egg is now in a ball or nest, protected on every side by its 
resilient carrier. If carefully done the ball may be dropped 
upon the floor and the egg' inside will not break. These balls 
may be packed in a box like oranges, and will go safely any 
distance. 

In shipping stock, provide light and strong shipping coops. 
If the bird is to go an}- distance, a loaf of stale bread soaked in 
water and placed in the box, will be meat and drink for him 
on his way. Write the party to whom you ship the bird when 
you send him, enclosing express receipt. 

COAI PLAINTS. 

Ever}' shipper of eggs and stock is bound to receive more 
or less complaints. Accidents will happen, and there are 
customers hard to please. Sometimes you run across a dis- 
honest customer who wants to get more than his money's 
worth and who sends in a complaint that the eggs were broken 
when they reached him or failed to hatch. You can generally 
tell from the tone of a letter whether the writer is sincere or 
not, for an honest letter has an honest ring. 

When a complaint comes in that is unreasonable, it should 
be met courteously and kindly, but firmly. The customer 
should be shown, if possible, the untenability of his position. 
When a complaint that is reasonable comes in an attempt 
should be made for a satisfactory adjustment. It is the prac- 
tice among poultrymen, I believe, to duplicate the order at 
half price where less than seven out of the thirteen eggs hatch. 
Where a customer is dissatisfied with the bird sent, he should 
be allowed to send him back, paying the express, and his mone}' 
should be returned to him. While a poultryman needs to 
make sales he needs to make friends even more, and a good 
way to secure them is to treat every man according to the 
teachings of the Golden Rule. 

Literature. — Tlie American Standard of Perfection. A complete 
description of all recognized varieties of fowls. Illustrated. Indispensable 
to every breeder of pure-bred or exhibition birds. Price, $1.50. Ameri- 
can Poultry Aihocate, Syracuse, N. Y. 



CHAPTER XII. 



Men Who Make $2.00 a Day. 



In the pouhry lousiness, as in all others, there is a tend- 
eiic}- to specialize. A man discovers that he likes one part of 
the business better than the rest, or is more successful in one 
department than in another, and naturally he prefers to devote 
his time to the thing- in which he excels. In the future, this 
tendenc}' to specialization will be more marked than it is to- 
day. There will be farms devoted to the production of eggs 
—and nothing else. Not a chicken will be hatched on these 
farms, and not a male will be kept. There will be other farms 
where chickens will be raised the year around. The young 
cockerels will be sold for broilers and the pullets will go to 
stock the egg farms of which I have spoken. There will be 
men who will devote their time to the breeding of pigeons, and 
other men who will raise nothing but ducks. There" will be. 
as now, men who will devote their entire time to exhibition 
fowls. 

It is my purpose in this chapter to select three or four 
representative men and detail their methods. I have not 
chosen for my purpose men who do a business of $30,000 or 
$40,000 a year, and widely advertise ; but men that I know 
who are making a comfortable living out of pt)ultry, or men 
\vho keep poultry as a side line and make it pay. 

CHICKS, PULLETS AND BROILERS.— 
MR. O. P. BARTON. 

The first man I shall mention is ^Nlr. O. P. P>arton of Sea- 
brook. X. H., whose system of brooding has already been 
described in another chapter. Mr. Barton is a shoemaker by 
trade, and for man}' years carried on shoemaking at his home 
in Seabrook, taking work from Xewburyport. He began to 
experiment with poultry keeping some 15 years ago, and his 
plant has grown from the usual small beginnings. 

Mr. Barton started out to raise broilers and soft roasters, 
but has been compelled to mochfy his plans to satisfy the 
demands of his customers. He started in with good thorough- 



87 

bred stock, selecling" W hite \\'}-aiKlc)ttes as best adapted to his 
purpose. It was his original plan to start his incubators the 
first day of January each year and to sell the young birds for 
broilers, reserving only enough pullets to give him the neces- 
sary eggs for hatching' the next winter. The novelt}' of Mr. 
Barton's brooding arrangements attracted visitors from far 
and near, and soon he was confronted with a brisk demand 
for day-old chicks as well as for eggs for hatching-. He also 
found that when the young birds were ready for broilers there 
were plent}' who were eager to take the pullets at an advance 
over the price of broilers ; and now he sells day-old chicks and 
young pullets as well as broilers. 

Mr. P)arton"s figures for 1907 are calculated to make the 
average poultry keeper sit up and take notice. He began the 
year with 90 pullets and si.x cockerels. These were sold April 
13th, so the entire receipts for the year were the product of 
keeping this limited amount of stock three and one-halt 
months. Nothing was sold for what could be called fancy 
prices, but when he balanced his books he found that his 
receipts for the year were $1,004.29, expenditures $369.50, 
profits $734.79, or over $8 per hen. Xo account was made of 
the eggs or poultry consumed at home, neither was the hen 
manure reckoned. Mr. Barton closed the year with 158 pullets 
and eight cockerels on hand, which, valued at the low price 
of $1 each, would add materially to his profits. 

Mr. Barton made his mone}- off his chicks, 2,600 of which 
he hatched out. He sold day-old chicks for 15 cents each, and 
pullets for 50 cents each wdien they were large enough for the 
sex to be distinguished. He sold broilers for 32 cents a pound 
as late as the luiddle of June, and mature pullets for one dollar 
apiece and upwards. He believes that a man can easily clear 
$1,000 a year from 100 hens by following his methods. 

It was the middle of Jul}' wdien the writer visited Mr. 
P)arton at his pleasant home, to gather data for this book. He 
found all hands busy picking straw^berries. A little patch. 
less than half an acre in extent, netted Mr. Barton $150 that 
season. 

By a singular coincidence, the Boston papers that verA- 
morning had the account of a man who had committed suicide 
because his farm, devoted to poultry and Angora goats, did 
not pay. 

"No man can make a success at poultr}- raising and hire 
another man to run his place," said Mr. Barton. "Success de- 



pends upon a hundred and one little things that a hired man 
would never think to do." 

"Do you intend working at your trade?" was asked. 

"Xo," was his response. "I am done with shoemaking 
forever. I can see all kinds of money in the poultry business. 
My ambition is to clear up $1,000 the first six months of each 
year, and I think I can do it." 

"I have another plan," said Mr. Barton, "and that is to buy 
up little cockerels in the fall and caponize them. There are 
always plenty of little cockerels that can be bought in Septem- 
ber and October as low as 15 cents apiece. These can be 
caponized and sold for big money in the spring. In this way 
I can add to my profits and utilize my plant in the fall months 
when it would otherwise be idle." 

EGGS FOR MARKET— MR. F. H. DUNLAP. 

Even more remarkable than the story of Mr. Barton is 
that of Mr. F. II. Dunlap of West Salisbury, N. H., for Mr. 
Barton is located on the seacoast close to some of the best 
markets in New England, while Mr. Dunlap lives in a little 
hamlet, up amor.g the hills, five miles from the nearest railway 
station. Then for six months in the year Mr. Barton devotes 
practically all his time to his stock, while Mr. Dunlap has but- 
two or three hours a day to give them. Mr. Barton gets the 
highest prices for what he sells, while Mr. Dunlap ships to 
commission merchants and gets only current quotations. 

Eggs and eggs alone are what Mr. Dunlap works for. 
His main business is that of a country merchant, while poultry 
keeping is with him a side line, an avocation. His place is 
small, only two acres and a half of sandy land, but the system 
of the trained business man shows in everything he does. His 
houses are well built, well arranged, and he can carry on his 
poultry business with the utmost economy of time and labor. 

Starting in 1887 with a flock numbering but 20. he has 
steadily kept increasing the number, until now the annual 
hatch is between 1.000 and 1,100 chickens, with the average 
winter stock of layers about 500. 

Mr. Dunlap has built houses according to the constantly 
increasing number of fowls, until the present number is lo. 
These are kept whitewashed and regularly cleaned, so that the 
best sanitary conditions prevail. 



89 

' The old subject as to whether the poultry business is a 
profitable vocation is one that has been under much discussion 
of late, and in answer Mr. Dunlap submits the following 
figures : 

The land, with tne hen houses and frequent improvements 
which ha\e l)een made during this period of 22 years, totals 
$2,047.02. This includes the poultry houses only, and is ex- 
clusive of the dwelling" house. v 

During the past 22 years the net profits have been $11,- 
347.13. Besides that $9,656.31 has been expended for grain 
and supplies, making a total of $21,003.41 for all poultrv 
and eggs sold. 

Three principal varieties of hens kept are Rhode Island 
Reds, White Wyandottes and White Leghorns. These birds 
are bred from the best strains, and their laying qualities alwavs 
stand first, as no birds are ever exhibited or eggs sold for 
hatching. 

Following is the statement of the poultry account of Mr. 
Dunlap from Jan. 1, 1908, to Jan. 1, 1909: 

Debtor. 

To 535 birds on hand Jan. 1, 1908, at cost $ 183.75 

" feed bought during year 830.46 



$1,014.21 

Creditor. 

By 64,117 eggs in 1908 $1,131.57' 

" 767 birds sold 329.13 

" 210 eaten 000.00 

" 592 birds on hand 207.20 

$1,867.90 
Profit . $ 853.69 

HIGH GRADE UTILITY AND EXHIBITION BIRDS.— 
LITTLE CHICKS.— MR. T. N. SMITH. 

Some years ago, while pastor of Trinity Church in North 
Attleboro, Mass., I had a young man in the congregation by 
the name of Smith. He was ambitious and industrious, strictly 
temperate, and I looked for him to make a success in whatever 
he undertook. I lost run of the young man after I left town. 



90 

but after a few years I began to see his name in the poultry 
papers in connection with a short advertisement of Rhode 

Island Reds. How he succeeded I shall let him tell in his 
own words : 

"1 shall endeavor to tell of my struggles to establish a 
good business for the benefit of those who are thinking of 
going- into the poultry business to make a living. I started in 
five years ago right after I ha'd taken the special course in 
])oultry culture at Kingston Agricultural College. I had been 
breeding Rhode Island Reds for six years before, and I selected 
out two ])ens of the best birds and raised about 200. I put a 
small classified ad. in Farm-Poultry, run it in that paper 
through the spring months at a cost of $6. Sales from this 
advertising" of eggs for hatching and breeding stock were $125. 

"I worked as a motorman on the electric railroad right 
along while building u]^ ni}- trade. AI}- wife helped me all she 
could. The second year sales were $478 for eggs for hatching 
and breedingvStock. These figures do not include what was 
sold for market, as that was kept separate. I spent $50 for 
advertising" this year. The third year a great many articles 
derogatory to Rhode Island Reds appeared in a number of 
])i)uhr}- papers, and the boom on Rhode Island Reds had fallen 
out. This year 1 think my hat had grown too big. As I had 
about 300 Reds I spent $200 in advertising and a catalogue 
this vear : my sales for breeding stock and eggs for hatching" 
were only $251. I had lost at a time when I felt it most, but 
I knew the demand would increase if T just stuck to it. as the 
Reds wcndd be recognized for their sterling cpialities. In the 
meantime, wife and I worked to build up one of the best laying 
strains in the countr}-. We used trap nests. We had a good 
laying strain to work on from the start. The fourth year I 
spent S78 for advertising, exhibited some and won a good 
share of first prizes, and sold $1,100 of breeding stock, exhi- 
bition birds and eggs for hatching. I worked on the electrics 
just the same, but was able to get off most aiiy time it was 
necessary to attend to n"iy poultr}- l)usiness. \\ hen I made 
full time on the road I got $16.28 per week of seven days. 

"The fifth year, which has just been completed, I paid out 
$87 for advertising, exhibited at a number of shows, won a 
lot of prizes; and sold an average of over $200 per month for 
breeding" stock, exhibition birds and eggs for hatching. Since 
the beginning of the new year (1905) my sales for breeding 
stock and eggs for hatching" are from $7? to $100 per week, and 



91 

1 have just started to sell newly-hatched chicks. Am now sell- 
ing about $105 per week. This I keep separate from sales of 
eggs and breeders. I have a nice lot of fruit trees in poultry 
yards, peach, plum and quince. 1 have farmed out a lot of my 
stock on account of working on cars. My intention was to 
l)uild up a good trade and then leave to attend to my poultry 
business altogether. I am now ready to go into it altogether, 
having no fear I will not be successful, as I now have a good 
trade established and customers are coming back each year, 
besides the new customers I get each year. I would advise 
anyone to do as I have : keep your situation or business while 
building up a poultry business, if possible. I have worked 
early and late to do this, and the success I have met amply 
repays my trouble." 

Under date of August 28, 1908, "Sir. Smith Avrites me, 
bringing his experience down to the present time. 

''I will now take up the subject of newly-hatched chicks." 
he says. "The first year I started to sell newdy-hatched chicks 
( 1905 ) I sold 10.000. I thought that pretty good for the first 
season. The second year (1906) I hatched out 27,000 chicks, 
and sold 24,000 of them. That year I sold a little over $6,000 
worth of chicks, breeding stock, exhibition birds and laying 
stock. The third year (1907) I sold over 35.000 Rhode Island 
Red chicks, and besides that hatched out a lot of chicks for 
other people who either bought or shipped their eggs here, 
charging them $2.50 per hundred for wdiat eggs they left. 
I did a $10,000 business that year, selhng eggs for hatching, 
brooder chicks, breeding stock, exhibition birds, laying stock, 
a few broilers and soft roasters, and making something on 
hatching eggs for other people. Up to this year (1907) I had 
done all the work myself, but this season for the first time I 
employed an assistant, a practical poultryman. I ought to 
add that my wife has helped me from the first, and now attend^s 
to all the correspondence : and as this is large, it takes her a 
good half day to get it out of the way. 

"We are now w^ell into another year's business (1908), 
and it bids fair to be a prosperous year, notwithstanding the 
whole country has passed through a financial crisis. I sold in 
the spring 35,000 chicks, the most of them for 15 cents apiece, 
and a few of the best for 25 cents, and inquiries for breeding 
and exhibition stock are beginning to come in. It looks as 
if I would do an $11,000 business this year. 

'T attribute my great success in the poultry business to 
the fact that I have developed one of the greatest laying strains 



92 

of Rhode Island Reds in the country, using trap nests, and 
breeding only from birds that have reached a high average in 
egg production. I have bred birds that ha\e won in the largest 
shows in the country ; and have shipped birds all over the 
globe, to New Zealand, South Africa, Cuba and Japan, as well 
as all over the United States and Canada. 

"This year I started in selling real estate, and find it works 
well in connection with the poultry business. I have a man 
who shows the farms, and when there is nothing doing in that 
line he helps me in the care of the poultry. I was brought up 
on a farm, and know just what kind of a farm is best adapted 
to poultry, and m}- customers profess themselves well satis- 
fied." 

SMALL CHANGE. 

Capitalize your mistakes. 

Don't slip twice on the same banana peel. 

Don't trust anything to a hen's judgment, for she hasn't 
any. She is sure to do the thing you don't want her to do. The 
only safe wa}' is to have your fowls where they are completely 
under your control. 

Read widely, but check and correct what you read by ex- 
perience and experiment. 

The best breed is the one you like best. 

Cleanliness is next to egginess. 

Iveep the hens at work, and the chances of their contracting 
bad habits will be reduced to a minimum. 

A good breeding cockerel should be of good size, with well 
developed comb and wattles, a bright eye. and with a bright 
and fearless mien. In other words, he should show his mascu- 
linity in every act and look. 

Separate the sexes as soon as the cockerels begin to crow. 

The time to doctor a sick hen is before she is sick. 

Give value received the first time, or 3-ou may never have a 
second time. 

Fowls should never be roughly handled, violently chased or 
badly frightened. Best results can only be obtained when the 
birds feel at ease and free from the attacks of enemies of all 
kinds. The keeper, whose fowls fiy at his approach, is not a 
success. 

Satan finds some mischief still for idle hens to do. 

In caring for the youngsters, a little neglect may mean a 
big loss. Better do it right or not at all. 



93 

Remember that the early hatched chicks needs an unusual 
amount of care in order to fully protect them from the cold of 
■early spring. 

Have the best stock obtainable, and never start with any 
other kind. Better get good birds and fewer of them. You 
can't breed anything- but disappointment from poor stock. As 
in everything else, the best is the cheapest. 

Don't be too cautious.- The man who never loses anything 
never makes anything. . 

Distrust the doctrinaire who says that chicks do not need 
much heat. They come from a warm place and need consider- 
able Avarmth until well feathered out. If they have warmth 
they will grow ; if not, they will become stunted and die like 
flies at the approach of frost. 

The whole tendency to-day on the part of those who have 
the poultry business most at heart is towards simplification of 
methods. The old farmer who feeds nothing but corn and not 
much of that, letting his hens shift for themselves on the range, 
may not be the highest type of a poultryman, but Itc makes 
poultry keeping pay. He doesn't get many eggs, but what he 
gets are all profit. 

A¥hile there are an indefinite number of things a man might 
do in the poultry business, yet the things that are absolutely 
necessary are after all very few. To keep one's hens clean, to 
keep them comfortable, to give them plenty to eat — this is 
about all there is to it. Perhaps the greatest gain a man ever 
makes is when he resolves that he will no longer doctor sick 
hens — unless the sickness is very simple. While he may lose 
a few more hens in the course of a year than he otherwise 
would, vet the saving in time, the removal of the strain upon 
his patience and sympathy, the higher average of health on the 
part of the hens that remain, more than offset the loss. It was 
never intended that the poultryman should add a drug store to 
his outfit. 

AA^hen a man sells eggs he sells futures, and when a man 
buys eggs he buys possibilities. If a buyer gets a good hatch 
he gets more than his money's worth, and if the hatch is poor 
he has no cause for complaint. If only two or three chicks 
come out, one of these may be a blue-ribbon bird that will be 
worth ten times what he paid for the eggs at the start. 

One of the temptations that must be resisted is to load u]) 
the incubator just once more when the eggs are hatching good. 



94 

When you have all the chicks you are equipped to take care of^ 
you have enough. Nothing was ever gained by crowdinjj- 
chicks, putting two where there is only room for one. 

Before you give up your job to go into the poultry business, 
you should thoroughly master the art of artificial brooding of 
chicks. Here is where the majorit}- of beginners fall down. 
It's easy enough to get out chicks (any good incubator wall 
hatch them by the hundred), but when it comes to rearing 
them, that is another story. It's easy to foresee the finish of 
the man who is obliged to carry to the graveyard one-half to 
three-fourths of the chicks his faithful incubator has hatched 
out. 

Wayside Advertising. — On my way to the cit}- I pass a 
place that always attracts my attention : a very pretty little 
house with perhaps an acre of land attached. It is a good 
sized city lot, nothing more. It is owned and occupied, I un- 
derstood, by a widow with three children. What interests me 
is the system with which this acre farm is managed. Every- 
square foot is utilized, and every square foot is made to pay. 
The owner has had a number of neat signs painted, and when- 
ever I go by one of these is out, calling attention to something 
she has to sell. "Eggs for Hatching" greets my eyes in the 
spring. Later comes "Strawberries," then "Raspberries" or 
"Flowers." And in the fall there is a board with the legend. 
"Honey for Sale." I understand that this woman makes fabu- 
lous profits out of her acre farm. Customers call at the door 
and pay big prices for all she has to sell. Her success suggests 
the possibilities of wayside advertising. Every reader of this 
book wdio lives on the main road and has anything to sell 
should have a number of neat signs painted with the name of 
some commodity on each, to post by the wayside to be read 
by passers by. The best market in the world is often at our 
very doors. I know a man who lives in a country town who 
had potatoes to sell. He had a sign printed, "Potatoes for 
Sale," and stuck up where everybody who drove by could see. 
As a consequence, he sold all he had for one dollar a bushel, 
the same price his neighbors received for theirs in the cit3^ six 
miles away. If a hundred people pass your door every twenty- 
four hours, the chances are that some of them will be inter- 
ested in what vou have to sell. 



Lb '09 



POLLTRY TARMS 

» =^=^= =<< 

FOR 

POULTRY RAISERS. 

Exeter, New Hampshire, and vicinity, in the South eastern part of 
Rockingham County, is an ideal location lor the poultry fancier 
and poultry marketman. 

Exeter, famous for beauty and health, noted for schools of national 
reputation and excellent social lile, is conveniently and delight- 
fully situated. Only 51 miles from Boston, with frequent express 
trains, about 15 miles distant from four smaller cities, 10 miles 
by road and trolley through beautiful country Scenery of Hamp- 
ton and Rye Beaches, is surrounded by pine covered hills and 
divided by fresh and Salt water rivers, the latter navigable to 
the sea. 

The City and local markets will take an unlimited supply of live and 
dressed poultry and eggs, and the beach hotels, in the season, are 
great Consumers of broilers, chickens, fowl and eggs at fancy 
prices. Fancy poultry is in great demand for breeding. An 
admirable show is held here yearly and greatly stimulates the 
business. Small and large farms and village homes are for sale 
at low prices and often on easy terms. 

$1,500 will buy a 9 room two story house, two large barns, corn 
house, 15 apple trees and 5 acres good land, near neighbors, 
district and high schools and church. Mortgage can be placed 
for $1000. 

$1,200 will buy a similar farm with 7 room smaller house. 

$600 will buy a half acre place with a good house and barn. 

$500 will buy 4 room house, shed and 3 acres with a few apple 
trees. $200 down will get this. A great variety of places 
listed. Inquiries cheerfully answered. 

Dana W. Baker, Exeter, N. H. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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